Moscow, July 23, 1999

Presnenskii Intermunicipal Court of Moscow has examined today for the second time the complaint lodged by conscientious objector and ARA member John Tsaturyan about the actions of the Enlistment Commission that decided to call him up for the military service, although he had declared that he conscientiously objected and had applied for the alternative civilian service instead of the military service, according to the Russian Constitution, Art. 59.3.

On January 14, 1999 the previous decision of Presnenskii Court of November 17, 1997, refusing to comply with Tsaturayn's complaint about the Enlistment Commission, was appealed against by the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in the framework of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. According to his decision, the case was to be re-examined in the same Court by a different board of Judges. Today's verdict of Judge Tat'yana Pechenina once again refuses to comply with Tsaturyan's complaint.

Today Nikolai Khramov participated in the session of the Court as witness. Later he declared:

"Today we have seen once again the realisation of the principles of the Constitutional Justice that in Moscow are being interpreted rather strangely. Mrs Pechenina, following the tradition established by the President of the Moscow City Court Zoya Korneva, first for an hour and half has been trying to find any "proves" of convictions of the plaintiff that would not allow him to serve in the Army (such proves were presented to her in plenty), and then, without hesitating, has announced her negative decision. In this way she has as well "put in its place" the Supreme Court that rescinded the previous similar verdict. The entire text of the verdict with its reasons and grounds will be ready in three days, but one can be sure right now that it will be a copy of the other similar verdicts of Moscow Courts: at the Court examination the draftee was not able to prove his convictions. It is evident that all Moscow Judges consider that Art. 29.3. of the Russian Constitution was not written for them - the Article that

says that nobody can be forced to express his thoughts and convictions or to deny them. However, both the Moscow regional judges and the boss of the Moscow "justice" Mrs Korneva and the military men for whose sake the Constitution, the Law and the Right are being violated for, and the Duma deputies burying the alternative civilian service draft law must be sure: numerous violations of the Constitution will not bring any conscript in the barracks, will not brake the end of the conscription slavery".