Information bulletin of antimilitarist actions
No. 12 * 15 March 1998
Edited by the Antimilitarist Radical Association (ARA), an
association of the Transnational Radical Party.
Russian and English editions.
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ARA - ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION
Pechatnikov pereulok, 6, Moscow, 103045 Russia
Tel.: (095) 208-1805, 208-4902
Fax: (095) 208-1805
Mail to: ara@glasnet.ru
http://www.ara.ru
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THE THIRD MILLENNIUM WITHOUT CONSCRIPTION SLAVERY
Petition to the Russian Parliament
for the abolition of conscription and the transition to the
professional recruitment of the Armed Forces
We, the undersigned citizens, appeal to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, being firmly convicted that the present-day conscription system for the recruitment of the Armed Forces is a useless, senseless and harmful anachronism as far as both the unjustified violation of the rights of the citizens and the national defence needs are concerned.
We are convinced that Russia needs an entirely professional, effective and small-numbered Armed Forces that would meet both the real needs of the national security and the international co-operation, and the economical possibilities of the country.
Therefore, we call the Russian Parliament:
to abolish the military conscription in peace-time and to establish an entirely voluntary and professional principle of recruitment to the Armed Forces by modifying the Military Service federal law and other relevant laws.
________________________________________________________________
I support the appeal to the Russian Parliament
"The third millennium without conscription slavery"
Last name ______________________________________________________
First name _____________________________________________________
CODE/CITY ______________________________________________________
Region _________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________
Telephone (_____)_______________ FAX (______)__________________
E-mail _________________________________________________________
Please, fill in this form and send it by e-mail to ara@glasnet.ru or by fax (095) 208-1805 or by post to the ARA, Pechatnikov pereulok, 6, 103045 MOSCOW
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PETITION CAMPAIGN FOR THE ABOLITION OF CONSCRIPTION:
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN YOUR TOWN?
The Radical Party and the ARA launch a civil campaign for collecting signatures under the petition to the Parliament of the Russian Federation calling to abolish the conscription and to pass to recruiting the Armed Forces on a professional basis. We hope that this campaign will find a broad response among members, adherents and militants of the ARA and of the Radical Party, among all opponents of the militarism, among all Russian citizens guided by common sense. Our campaign will go on till the end of 1999. In January, 2000 when the new, 7-th State Duma (to be elected in December 1999) takes up its duties, we plan to pass to the newly-elected parliamentarians the signatures we manage to collect. We hope that with your help and your active participation we will manage to collect as many signatures as necessary to make the elected representatives of the people hear the voice of the citizens of Russia - of the people who vote for them.
What can you do in our town in the framework of our petition campaign for the abolition of conscription?
1. Copy the text of this petition and the application form (see below).
2. Sign the petition and send the form by e-mail to ara@glasnet.ru, by fax (095) 208-1805 or by post to the Radical Party, Pechatnikov pereulok, 6, 103045 MOSCOW.
3. Collect signatures under this petition among your relatives, your friends, your colleagues, your group-mates. Send their signatures to the Moscow ARA and Radical Party office: Pechatnikov pereulok, 6, 103045 MOSCOW; by fax (095) 208-1805 or by e-mail to ara@glasnet.ru.
4. Together with other members of the Radical Party and of the ARA you may collect signatures in your town; two or three militants may set a street-table or a piquet in the busiest streets: in the center of your town, near big supermarkets, near central metro stations, near the railway station. Please, contact us by phone (095) 208-1805 or send your message to our pager (095) 230-4141, subscriber 24712 or mail to ara@glasnet.ru. We will provide you with the necessary materials. Please, inform us about the public actions for collecting signatures you have carried out or you plan to.
5. Contact your local newspapers, your radio and TV channels and inform them about the beginning of the petition campaign in your town (please, collect and keep all the articles about your campaign and send us a copy). Try to publish the petition in one or several local newspapers, do not forget to indicate your contact address and your phone number so that as many people as possible may join your initiative.
6. Contact the State Duma deputies elected in your electoral district and inform them about the petition campaign, ask them to explain their point of view and to collaborate with you.
7. Appeal to the deputies of the regional bodies of legislative (representative) power, try to convince them to adopt a statement or an appeal to the State Duma to support the petition or to propose a legislative initiative for introducing amendments to the federal legislation concerning the abolition of conscription. Please, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a draft text of such a statement.
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TELEX
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CONFERENCE FOR THE ABOLITION OF COMPULSORY MILITARY AND CIVILIAN CONSCRIPTION
Rome, January 29. The conference of the Radical Party "Leva la leva" ("Abolish the conscription") on the campaign of Italian radicals carried out since last August for the abolition in Italy of both military conscription and the alternative civilian service. Participation of Emma Bonino, EC Commissioner for humanitarian issues, ex-secretary of the Radical Party. According to Bonino, the main goal of the radical campaign should be the establishment of a real military and diplomatic unity of Europe, including the establishment of the European Armed Forces.
THE FIRST 100.000 SIGNATURES FOR THE INCRIMINATION OF MILOSEVIC PASSED TO THE TRIBUNAL FOR THE EX-YUGOSLAVIA
The Hague, February 1. Today a delegation of the Radical Party led by the Secretary of the RP and European Parliament deputy Olivier Dupuis passed to the vice-prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the ex-Yugoslavia Graham Blewitt more than 100.000 signatures of citizens, famous politicians and cultural workers, under the petition calling for an immediate incrimination of the Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for the war crimes and the crimes against the humanity.
Almost 1.000 thousand of the signatures collected are those of parliamentarians and VIPs who support the campaign of the Radical Party. Among them Italian Minister of Home Affairs Rosa Russo Jervolino, Albanian Prime-Minister Pandeli Majko, ex Prime-Ministers Michel Rocard, Wifred Martens, Leo Tindeman, deputies of the European Parliament Otto von Gabsburg, Antuanet Spek, Nobel Prize John Polyany, actresses Isabel Agiani and Bianca Jagger, writers Andre' Glucksmann, Nino Manfredi, Vladirmir Bukovskii, Ismail Kadare.
Duma deputies also signed the petition: Konstantin Borovoi, Julii Rybakov, late Galina Starovoitova, Arkadii Yankovskii, Saak Karapetyan. Other famous personalities: Lia Akhedzhakova, actress; Aleksandr Aronov, Moskovskij Komsomolets daily journalist; father Aleksandr Borisov, president of the Russian Bible Society; Yuliya Kalinina, Moskovskii Komsomolets daily journalist; Lev Levinson, Secretary of the Presidential Human Rights Chamber; Maria Markina, Moskovskii Komsomolets journalist; Nataliya Mikhailova, President of the Executive Committee of the Free Democrats of Russia; Evgenii Polyakov, sociologist, Religion and Law Institute; Anatolii Pristavkin, writer; Marina Sal'e, President of the Free Democrats of Russia; Aleksei Simonov, President of the Glasnost Defence Foundation; Sergei Sysoev, member of the Political Council of the Constitutional-Democratic Party; Viktor Zolotarev, Chief Editor of the Russian reporter newspaper; Nikolai Khramov, Secretary of the ARA. The ARA has also supported the appeal fo
r the incrimination of Milosevic and its militants participated actively in the collection of signatures.
THE SUPREME COURT DEFENDS THE RIGHTS OF A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR
Moscow, January 14. The Vice-President of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation V.M. Zhuikov presented an objection in the framework of prosecutor's directorate to the Presidium of the Moscow City Court asking to disaffirm the decision of the Intermunicipal Court Presnenskii of Moscow that had rejected on November 17, 1997 the complaint of the ARA member John Tsaturyan against the illegal actions of the Conscription Commission that had decided to call him to the colours although he had declared that he conscientiously objected. The objection of the Supreme Court says: "the Constitution of the Russian Federation has a direct action thus, in examining the complaint of Tsaturyan, the Court should have followed the Art. 59, p. 3 of the Russian Constitution. The lack of a relevant federal law can not be considered as a valid reason for rejecting the complaint".
THE CASE OF TSATURYAN: THE MOSCOW CITY COURT DISAFFIRMS ITS DECISION
Moscow, March 4. Presidium of the Moscow City Court disaffirms the verdict of the Presnenskii Court of Moscow that has rejected the complaint of John Tsarutyan against the illegal actions of the Conscription Commission; the decision of the board of Judges for civil cases of the Moscow City Court confirming the verdict of the Presnenskii Court is disaffirmed as well. The case is to be re-examined at the same Court, by a different board of Judges.
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WORRIED ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA
Strasbourg, March 11. By initiative of the radical deputies the European Parliament adopted a resolution on human rights in Russia. In particular, it "establishes the fact that the Alternative Civilian Service law has not been adopted yet; the Parliament expresses its concern about the bad conditions of keeping the military men, including a very law salary and a chronicle malnutrition; it is also concerned about the growing rate of mortality in the Armed Forces, thus, in particular, in 1998 there were more than 500 suicides and the number of mysterious deaths reached 1000".
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