GENERAL MOTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION

Moscow, October 23, 1998

The General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association held on October 23, 1998 in the State Duma with participation of the activists of the ARA and of the Radical Party, of representatives of the Committee of the Mothers of Soldiers of Russia and of a number of other friendly public associations and with participation of some Deputies of the State Duma engaged in antimilitarist legislation struggle for the adoption of an alternative civilian service law,

after continued and fruitful debates has adopted the present Resolution.

The General Council recognises that after the alternative civilian service draft law has been voted down, the legislative situation turned back to that of the beginning of 1994. At the same time, as far as the general public opinion and the capability of young citizens to defend in a legal way their constitutional right to conscientious objection and their right to replace the military service by the alternative civilian service are concerned, the present-day situation differs fundamentally from that of four years ago.

Under these circumstances the General Council confirms its conviction that the destiny of the law is to be determined by a mass "civil obedience campaign" that will transfer the battlefield for the adoption of an alternative civilian service law in thousands Court-rooms all around Russia.

Therefore, the General Council calls upon to support only such a variant of an alternative civilian service law that does not admit any compromise; it orders to the executive bodies of the ARA to continue the organisation of the civil obedience campaign so that the leaders of the State Duma and the President should be informed about each case of an official conscientious objection. General Council considers it necessary to support elaboration and presentation to the Duma of an alternative civilian service draft law that does not admit any compromise.

The General Council charges the executive bodies of the ARA to organise an appeal to the Constitutional Court concerning the facts of anticonstitutional application of Art. 50 of a State Legal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation by some Courts that demand that the draftees should prove their convictions.

At the same time the General Council appeals to the Transnational Radical Party, an organisation that has all necessary facilities and resources, to intensify the campaign for putting pressure upon Russia inside international institutes (European Parliament, Council of Europe, UN) in order to make Russian authorities carry out rigorously their international legal obligations for defending the rights of conscientious objectors.

The General Council confirms its libertarian position of principle that any compulsory service, either military or civilian, is not compatible with the principles of freedom and supremacy of the rights of a person; it does not meet the needs of defence and security on the threshold of the third millennium as well. The General Council points out that a liberal alternative civilian service law is only a necessary temporary technical instrument; it is aimed both to guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens up to the abolition of the levy in Russia and to make the dismantling of the levy system as easy as possible. Under these circumstances the General Council proposes to bend every effort of the ARA to carry out a campaign for the remanning of the Russian Armed Forces on a professional basis.

The General Council supports with enthusiasm the petition campaign "Leva la leva" ("Abolish the levy") for the abolition of both levy and alternative civilian service that the Radical Party has been carrying out in Italy since last August.

The General Council charges the executive bodies of the ARA to work out a plan of similar campaign for Russia and to present it for discussion at the Second Congress of the ARA. "In the third millennium without levy slavery" will be the slogan of the campaign.

The General Council expresses its solidarity with ecologist Aleksandr Nikitin and journalist Grigorii Pas'ko whose trials are held in St. Petersburg. According to charges trumped-up by the Federal Security Service, they are accused of espionage. The General Council is firmly convinced that Nikitin and Pas'ko will be definitely acquitted for the lack of corpus delicti.

The General Council recognises that it is necessary to establish an effective permanent procedure of information and co-ordination among the activists of the ARA, of the Radical Party and of Club Khramov to carry out antimilitarist campaigns and initiatives. Therefore, the General Council charges the executive bodies to study the possibilities of resuming the edition of the "Antimilitarist", a paper bulletin of the ARA (in case there is necessary financing); otherwise, the ARA, the Radical Party and Club Khramov may issue a new joint regular paper edition in Russian.

The General Council considers it necessary to organise and provide a profile Internet-recourse on "Abolition of the levy - conscientious objection". In this concern the General Council charges the executive bodies to contact right-defence associations and other interested organisations and individuals; and to ensure the participation of volunteers in this activity.

At the same time, the General Council recognises with anxiety a dramatic gap between goals and objectives of the ARA, on the one hand, and its material and financial resources on the other hand. Therefore, the General Council urges the executive bodies to concentrate on attracting external financing (grants) and sponsors' contributions. However, the General Council points out that it is first and foremost necessary to launch a new membership campaign; the General Council believes that the support of ARA goals and objectives by common Russian citizens should be realised in membership, contributions and other forms of individual participation.

The General Council believes that the present-day political situation does not allow to postpone the Second Congress of the ARA any more and calls the executive bodies to begin the preparation of the Congress in order to hold till the middle of December.