"DOWN WITH CONSCRIPTION SLAVERY!"

The Transnational Radical Party and the Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA) are carrying out in Russia the petition campaign "The third millennium without conscription slavery". Their militants hold "street tables" in order to collect as many signatures as possible against the compulsory military service and to present them to the deputies of the new Duma.

Ivan ESIN

One of the "street tables" started on July 5, at 5:30 p.m. in Pushkin square. The reaction of the passers-by differed, although, on the whole it was rather slack. According to the antimilitarists, in two hours they have collected 51 signatures. In general ARA members plan to collect 50.000 signatures of Russian citizens (for today they have managed to collect about 600 signatures).

To tell the truth, ARA militants do not have a clear idea of how these signatures may influence the deputies and the solution of the problem. The special issue of the bulletin Antimilitarist of March 15 just says that the signatures will be passed to the parliamentarians and this will probably draw their attention to the problem of the alternative civilian service (ASC) and of the compulsory conscription.

The same bulletin gives a lot of information for the draftees: analysis of the Articles of the Russian Constitution which guarantee the right to the ASC, advices for those who want to establish a consultation point for conscientious objectors. In general, the ARA often refers to the fundamental law and calls the young people to exercise their constitutional right to the ASC and not to hide from the Military Registration and Enlistment Office, risking to face big troubles, even an imprisonment.

The antimilitarists also fight for a political literacy of every conscript; they advice to buy and to read the most important legislative acts. Their Association also provides some legal help.

Now it's not clear if their actions yield any result, but the members of the ARA do their best in order to draw the attention of the public opinion and of the politicians to the problem of military service.

Last year the UN Human Rights Commission has once again called the states that keep the compulsory military service to recognise the right of every citizen to conscientiously object - a lawful realisation of the right to the freedom of opinion, consciousness and religion, according to Art. 18 of the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights.

[photo: Moscow, Pushkin square. The antimilitarists collect signatures against the compulsory military service.]