From: rbugler@amnesty.org

To: nkhramov@glasnet.ru

Message-ID: <802564E4.00342B4B.00@fox.amnesty.org>

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:33:39 +0100

Subject: Re:

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Hi Nikolay,

The information in this case came from the NGO Soldiers' Mothers in Murmansk I think. I'll send you the information we have on this case, but don't worry if you have no time to find out about it.

Name: Sergey Mikhailovich Rozhkov

Date of Birth: 11 August 1978

Religion: Jehovah's Witness

Details: Sergey informed the Recruitment Commission on 9 October 1996 that he was a Jehovah?s witness and that he wished to serve an alternative military service. The Recruitment Commission reportedly refused to accept this statement. On 25 December 1996 Sergey was taken out of a maths class from his school in the village of Revda in the Murmansk region by two police officers, who took him to the Recruitment Commission and then to the collection point for those about to serve their military service. Sergey was detained overnight in a cell before being sent to the military camp at Novaya Zemlya on an island in the Kara Sea off Russia?s north coast. Sergey repeatedly stated his religious grounds for objecting to military service and requested to be allowed to serve alternative service. He asked to talk to the military procurator but this was not permitted.

A local NGO, the Committee of Soldiers? Mothers? in Murmansk, contacted the head of the Regional Military Committee who said that he was authorized to ensure Sergey served his military service. They also contacted the regional procurator who said that he could not intervene on behalf of Sergey with the Military Committee.

By the time a representative of the Committee of Soldiers? Mothers tried to file a request with the Head of the Military Committee, she was told that Sergey Rozhkov had already been sent to Novaya Zemlya military camp.

On 12 February, AI learnt from the Committee of Soldiers'

Mothers' that Sergey had been transferred back to a military unit in Severomorsk, nearer the Murmansk region. In a letter written on 9 February he reported "here I am washing floors, shovelling snow. Although I was not present at the proceedings of taking the oath (of allegiance to the army) in my military card its written that I took the oath on 2 February. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing back here again - they say I'll be serving here."