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THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION GATHERED IN MOSCOW
On May, 19 the General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA) gathered in the State Duma in Moscow. The members of the General Council, elected by the last Congress of the ARA, took part in its work together with nearly twenty ARA militants and deputies of the State Duma Renat Sultanov ("Jabloko") and Konstantin Borovoj (independent).
The General Council heard and approved the reports of the ARA Secretary Nikolaj Khramov and of the acting treasurer Anna Zajtseva who informed about the results of the activity of the ARA after the last meeting of the General Council in September '97 and characterized the present-day political, organizational and financial situation of the association.
The debates mainly concerned the discussion of the Alternative civilian service federal law and initiatives of the ARA in this field. The Chairman of the ARA, deputy of the State Duma Valerij Borschev ("Jabloko") gave a talk on it.
The papers of the General Council (including the reports of the Secretary and of the acting Treasurer) are available at the ARA. Please, mailto:ara@glasnet.ru. Soon you may also find them at ARA web-site: http://www.glasnet.ru/~ara.
GENERAL MOTION OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ARA
The General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association, convoked at its session on May 19, 1998, in Moscow at the State Duma, with participation of the invited deputies and militants who take an active part in the antimilitarist struggle,
has heard and approved the reports of the Secretary and of the acting Treasurer.
The General Council confirms the engagement of the ARA to fight for the soonest adoption of a liberal alternative civilian service law. We consider the following propositions the minimum fundamental requirements that such a draft law should meet:
- the alternative service must be of a civilian nature;
- its period must not exceed the 1,5 period of the military service;
- the grounds of replacing the military service by the alternative civilian service are constituted by an application of a conscript.
The General Council considers the Article 36 of the Alternative civilian service draft law to be a violation of the constitutional rights of the citizens. In case the amendment of deputies Borschev, Vorob'jov, Gruschak and Golova concerning the voluntary basis for the service of conscientious objectors in the army as civilian personnel is voted down, the General Council calls the deputies to vote against this draft law, following not the instructions of their party or fraction, but their own notions about the rights of their electors.
The General Council draws the attention to the fact that the destiny of the alternative civilian service law is being decided now not only in the lobbies of the Parliament, but also in thousands of Courts all around Russia. In this connection the General Council points out that the "campaign of civil obedience" to the Constitution is still the main arm in our struggle for a liberal alternative civilian service law. Thus, the General Council appeals to all young Russian citizens to declare that they conscientiously object and to demand the alternative civilian service in conformity with Article 59.3. of the Russian Constitution.
The General Council considers of primary importance the steps taken against the sabotage of the Presidential Decree 722 of May 16, 1996 concerning the complete transition to the recruitment of the Armed Forces on a professional basis by January 1, 2000. The situation with this decree is to be examined from a juridical point of view. The Russian President must either guarantee the execution of his decree or explain distinctly to the whole country why this is not possible.
The General Council calls upon for carrying out a number of initiatives against the militarization of the school (i.e. introducing the course of military training in the senior classes, as envisaged by the new General military liability and military service federal law). The General Council considers it necessary to make an inquiry at the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation about the conformity of these clauses of the law with the Constitution; it is also necessary to introduce proper amendments into the General military liability and military service federal law.
The General Council supports the proposal to hold the Second Congress of the ARA next Autumn; the Congress will value the results of the work for the last two years and will outline the new objectives and goals of the association .
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MAY 15 - EUROPEAN DAY OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
Moscow, May 15. Fifteen militants of the Transnational Radical Party (TRP) and of the ARA demonstrated today at the State Duma in Okhotnyj Rjad for the rights of conscientious objectors in Russia as well as in other countries - in particular for the liberation of a young Turk Osman Murat Ulke, sentenced in Istanbul to a 7-month imprisonment for conscientious objection.
The demonstrators also urged the State Duma to adopt the Alternative civilian service federal law as soon as possible.
The 15-th of May is celebrated in many countries as the European day of conscientious objectors.
ARA SECRETARY APPEALS TO THE LEADERS OF PARLIAMENTARY FRACTIONS
Moscow, May 15. On the threshold of the second reading of the Alternative civilian service draft law the Secretary of the ARA Nikolaj Khramov sent a letter to all leaders of parliamentary fractions and groups of deputies in the State Duma.
"For the lack of this law - he wrote - the situation with conscientious objection in our country is very difficult and contradictory <.....> - difficult and contradictory both for the State and for its citizens that claim the alternative civilian service instead of the military service".
The leader of the ARA informed the deputies about the success of the "civil obedience campaign" - more and more selectees declare that they demand the alternative civilian service instead of the military service - and pointed out that "now, when the discussion of the alternative civilian service draft law by the State Duma seems to set going again, it is very important to guarantee the conformity of the draft law in the second reading both to the norms of the Constitution and to the international legal norms concerning conscientious objection"; that is: guarantee a strictly civilian nature of the alternative service; guarantee that its period not be a punishment in comparison with that of the military service; guarantee that convictions of any kind and not only religious ones be considered as valid reasons for assigning the alternative civilian service.
ANOTHER CRIMINAL TRIAL OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR IS CLOSED
Sterlitamak (Republic of Bashkiria), May 19. Igor' Smorodin, conscientious objector tried for "evading military service" (Article 328.1 of the Russian Criminal Code) received a letter of the Republican Procurator's Office informing Smorodin that the criminal proceedings against him were closed "for the failure to prove a charge".
Earlier the Chairman of the ARA deputy of the State Duma Valerij Borschev stood up in defence of Igor' Smorodin and sent a parliamentary inquiry to the General Procurator of the Russian Federation Jurij Skuratov.
FOR THE DEMILITARIZATION OF JUSTICE
Moscow, May 13. The right-defence center "Memorial" appealed to the members of the Council of Federation in view of the discussion of the Martial courts of the Russian Federation federal constitutional law. Members of the "Memorial" write in their appeal: "<...> this variant of the law does not guarantee the principles of independence and transparency of the court, the equality of citizens in the eye of the law; the right of citizens to appeal against the verdicts of the court". They also summon the senators to "vote against this draft law, discuss it once again and exclude all the norms that consolidate organizational and material dependence of martial courts of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; the law should conform to the Russian Constitution and the international norms, recognized by Russia".
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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JUNE 3, MOSCOW
The criminal trial of Vasilij Bazhenov, accused of "evading military service" (Art. 328.1. of the Russian Criminal Court) begins at Interregional Court Tushinskij of Moscow, ul. Svobody, 12/8, room 4. The session begins at 4 p.m. For detailed information, please, contact the ARA: tel. (095) 923-9127, mailto:ara@glasnet.ru.
JUNE 4, MOSCOW
Meeting of the Defence Committee of the State Duma with discussion of the Alternative civilian service draft law on the agenda. For detailed information, please, contact the Committee: (095) 292-8034; 292-5488.
JUNE 5, NARO-FOMINSK
The City Court of Naro-Fominsk (Moscow region) will consider the case of Dmitrij Perednja, also accused of evading military service. The session begins at 10 a.m. For detailed information, please, call the office of the ARA: (095) 923-9127, mailto:ara@glasnet.ru or contact Sergej Sorokin (095) 351-2082, mailto:sergey@sorokin.mccme.ru.
JUNE 10, MOSCOW
Manifestation of the Committee of the Mothers of soldiers of Russia with participation of the ARA near the palace of the Council of Federation for demilitarization of justice and against the Martial courts federal constitutional law. The manifestation begins at 9:30 a.m. in ul. Bol'shaja Dmitrovka, 26. For detailed information, please, contact the Committee of the Mothers of Soldiers: Valentina Mel'nikova (press-secretary) (095) 928-25-06, mailto:usm@glasnet.ru or Ljudmila Vakhnina (095) 370-8914.
JUNE 23, MOSCOW
The Intermunicipal Court Butyrskij considers the complaint of conscientious objector Roman Komarov against the enlistment committee. The session begins at 4:30 p.m. in ul. Obraztsova, 30, room 50. For detailed information, please, contact the ARA office: (095) 923-9127, mailto:ara@glasnet.ru or contact Sergej Sorokin (095) 351-2082, mailto:sergey@sorokin.mccme.ru.
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