Download - The Broken Rifle, 72
Editorial
Octobe r w as not a good
m onth for Rus s ian h um an righ ts
activis ts . On 7 Octobe r, Anna Po-
litk ovs k aya, a w e ll k now journa-
lis t w h o re gularly e xpos e d Rus -
s ian h um an righ ts violations in
Ch e ch nya, w as m urde re d in h e r
flat in Mos cow . Six days late r, on
13 Octobe r, th e Rus s ian Ch e ch -
e n Frie nds h ip Socie ty (RCFS) of
Niz h nii Novgorod w as orde re d
clos e d by a local court, be caus e
th e re ce ntly adopte d NGO law
m ak e s it ille gal for an organis a-
tion to be h e ade d by a pe rs on
convicte d of "e xtre m is t activi-
tie s ". Am ne s ty Inte rnational com -
m e nte d th at Stanis lav Dm itri-
e vs k ii, Exe cutive Dire ctor of
RCFS, w as convice d on "race
h ate " ch arge s on 3 Fe bruary
2006 for publis h ing non-viole nt
article s by Ch e ch e n s e paratis t
le ade rs , and w as - in vie w of AI -
convicte d for th e pe ace ful e xe r-
cis e of h is righ t of fre e dom of
e xpre s s ion and s h ould not h ave
face d trial in th e firs t place .
Only a fe w days late r th e
m ilitary pros e cutors in Ch e lya-
bins k droppe d th e ir inve s tigation
of four arm y officials accus e d of
failing to s top th e h az ing of arm y
cons cript Andre i Sych yov - a
cas e th at re ce ive d a lot of public
atte ntion e arlie r th is ye ar be cau-
s e of th e viole nce and crue lty
involve d. W h ile th e pe rs on w h o
be at h im w as s e nte nce d on 26
Se pte m be r to four ye ars im pri-
s onm e nt, no furth e r action w ill
now be tak e n agains t th os e in
ch arge of prote cting cons cripts .
Th e s e th re e unre late d ne w
ite m s s h e d s om e ligh t on th e
s ituation in Rus s ia - a s ituation,
w h ich is ge tting w ors e , w h ile
W e s te rn le ade rs and bus ine s s e s
incre as ingly m ak e de als w ith
Rus s ia. Ch e ch nya, and th e in-
cre as ingly racis t policy tow ards
Caucas ian citice ns w ith in Rus -
s ia, is Rus s ia's "w ar on te rror",
and th e s ile nce of W e s te rn le a-
de rs is th e price paid for Rus -
s ian coope ration in Bus h 's "w ar
on te rror". For us a pe ace m ove -
m e nt, h ow e ve r, it is im portant to
not be s ile nt about Ch e ch nya
and Rus s ian h um an righ ts
violations , but to s upport pe ace
and h um an righ ts activis ts in
Rus s ia and Ch e ch nya.
Andre as Spe ck
Th e Brok e n Rifle
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ne w s le tte r of W ar Re s is te rs '
Inte rnational, and is publis h e d
in Englis h , Spanis h , Fre nch
and Ge rm an. Th is is is s ue 72,
Nove m be r 2006.
Th is is s ue of Th e Brok e n
Rifle w as produce d by Andre as
Spe ck . Spe cial th ank s go to
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br72-e n.h tm
1 De ce m be r – Pris one rs for Pe ace Day:
Supporting pe ace and h um an
righ ts in Rus s ia
14 Octobe r 2006, Rus s ian Em bas s y in London. A de le gation of th e National Union of Journalis ts atte m pts to de live r a pe tition and a w re ath in
m e m ory of Anna Politk ovs k aya Ph oto: Andre as Spe ck
On 7 Octobe r 2006, Rus s ian
journalis t Anna Politk ovs k aya w as
m urde re d outs ide h e r flat in
Mos cow . Th is w as not an is olate d
cas e - s e ve ral journalis ts h ave
be e n k ille d in Rus s ia in re ce nt
ye ars - and it w as not a
coincide nce th at Anna
Politk ovs k aya w as th e targe t.
Rus s ia is th e th ird de adlie s t
country in th e w orld for journalis ts
ove r th e pas t 15 ye ars , be h ind
only th e conflict-ridde n countrie s
of Iraq and Alge ria. A re port by
th e Com m itte e to Prote ct
Journalis ts (CPJ) found th at 42
journalis ts h ad be e n k ille d in
Rus s ia s ince 19 9 2, m any of th e m
s lain in contract-s tyle e xe cutions
and th e vas t m ajority uns olve d by
Rus s ian auth oritie s .
But Anna Politk ovs k aya w as
not only an oppos itional journalis t
- w h ich w ould h ave be e n
dange rous e nough t in Rus s ia.
Th e focus of Anna
Politk ovs k aya's w ork w as on th e
w ar in Ch e ch nya, and h um an
righ ts violations by Rus s ian
force s in Ch e ch nya, or agains t
Ch e ch nians living in Rus s ia. W ith
th is focus s h e h ad to touch on
tw o ce ntral pillars of Putin's
pow e r in Rus s ia: th e Rus s ian
m ilitary and s e curity force s , and
Rus s ia's w ar on te rror in
Ch e ch nya.
Extre m e ly ins ignificant?
Pre s ide nt Putin re s ponde d to
th e m urde r of Anna Politk os vk aya
only w h e n pre s s e d to do s o by
journalis ts during a vis it to
Ge rm any. H e th e n s aid:
"H ow e ve r, th e de gre e of h e r
influe nce on th e country's political
de ve lopm e nt ... w as ins ignificant."
If th at w ould be true , w h y th e n
w as s h e m urde re d?
Anna Politk ovs k aya h as be e n
th re ate ne d and attack e d
num e rous tim e s in re taliation for
h e r w ork . In Fe bruary 2001
s e curity age nts de taine d h e r in
th e Ve de no dis trict in Ch e ch nya,
accus ing h e r of e nte ring
Ch e ch nya w ith out accre ditation.
Sh e w as k e pt in a pit for th re e
days w ith out food or w ate r, w h ile
a m ilitary office r th re ate ne d to
s h oot h e r. Se ve n m onth s late r,
s h e re ce ive d de ath th re ats from a
m ilitary office r accus e d of crim e s
agains t civilians . Sh e w as force d
to fle e to Vie nna afte r th e office r
s e nt an e -m ail to Novaya Gaz e ta
prom is ing th at h e w ould s e e k
re ve nge .
W h e n s h e w as k ille d, s h e w as
again w ork ing on a ne w s tory on
h um an righ ts violations in
Ch e ch nya. And obvious ly Putin
w ould lik e th is to be "ins ignificant."
Not only journalis ts
And its not only journalis ts .
Only a fe w days afte r th e m urde r
of Anna Politk ovs k aya, Rus s ian
auth oritie s clos e d th e Rus s ian-
Ch e ch e n Frie nds h ip s ocie ty in
Niz h ny Novgorod - again,
be caus e it w as h igh ligh ting
Rus s ia's w ar on te rror in
Ch e ch nya. Obvious ly, th is is jus t
anoth e r atte m pt to s ile nce
dis s e nt, follow ing th e introduction
of a ne w law on NGOs and civil
s ocie ty organis ations . And th e
Guardian re porte d on 19 Octobe r
th at s e ve ral w e ll-k now n
inte rnational NGOs h ave to ce as e
th e ir ope rations in Rus s ia
be caus e th e y m is s e d th e y
de adline for re gis tration unde r th e
ne w law . H ow e ve r, th is w as ofte n
due to bure aucratic de lays . Until
18 Octobe r, only 9 1 out of up to
500 inte rnational NGOs h ad be e n
approve d by th e Rus s ian
auth oritie s - th e re m ainde r h ad to
s us pe nd th e ir activitie s .
Again, s om e of th e NGOs
conce rne d are invovle d in
h um anitarian aid in th e North
Caucas us - in Ingus h e tia or
e ls e w h e re , ofte n providing
h um anitarion aid to Ch e ch e n
re fuge e s .
A clim ate of viole nce
Th e k illings of journalis ts and
th e crack dow n on NGOs and civil
s ocie ty groups h appe n in th e
conte xt of ris ing viole nce agains t
m inoritie s and political activis ts .
In Nove m be r 2005, tw o
anarch is ts w e re attack e d by
fas cis ts in St Pe te rs burg, le aving
one of th e m de ad, th e oth e r one
h e avily injure d. Es pe cially
Caucas ians living in Rus s ia face
racis t attack s and abus e re gularly.
And th e pre s e nt e s calation of th e
conflict be tw e e n Rus s ia and
Ge orgia - w ith th e de portation of
h undre ds of Ge orgian citiz e ns
from Rus s ia - adds e ve n furth e r
to racis t th re ads in viole nce w ith in
Rus s ian s ocie ty. Cle arly, th ings
are not going w e ll in Rus s ia...
Andre as Spe ck
Arm e nia
Alth ough Arm e nia pas s e d a law on con-
s cie ntious obje ction in 2004, th e country
continue s to im pris on cons cie ntious obje c-
tors . Many cons cie ntious obje ctors als o
re fus e to s e rve s ubs titute s e rvice , as it is
controlle d by th e M inis try of De fe nce . An
am e ndm e nt to th e law on cos ncie ntious
obje ction now provide s for th e pros e cution
of obje ctors w h o re fus e to pe rform
s ubs titute s e rvice .
In May 2006, Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s COs
applie d to th e Europe an Court of H um an
Righ ts , s tating a violation of th e ir h um an
righ t to cons cie ntious obje ction.
Eritre a
Paulos Eyas s u (24/09 /19 9 4— )
Ne ge de Te k le m ariam (24/09 /19 9 4— )
Is aac Mogos (24/09 /19 9 4— )
Aron Abrah a (09 /05/2001— )
Mus s ie Fe s s e h aye (June 2003— )
Am bak om Ts e ge zab (Fe bruary 2004— )
Be m ne t Fe s s e h aye (Fe bruary 2005— )
H e nok Gh e bru (Fe bruary 2005— )
+ aaSaw a Pris on, Eritre a
Am anue l Te s fae ndrias (March 2005— )
+ W ia Pris on, Eritre a
All toge th e r nine Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s are
im pris one d for cons cie ntious obje ction to
m ilitary s e rvice . Th re e Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s
are im pris one d s ince 24 Se pte m be r 19 9 4,
for re fus ing to pe rform m ilitary s e rvice . All
th re e h ave ne ve r be e n ch arge d for th e ir
"crim e ". Th e m axim um pe nalty for
cons cie ntious obje ction is th re e ye ars .
Finland
Alth ough unde r pre s s ure from th e UN and
oth e r inte rnational ins titutions , Finland
continue s to im pris on total obje ctors , and
re fus e s to bring its law on s ubs titute s e rvice
in line w ith inte rnational s tandards . On 16
Octobe r, 19 total obje ctors w e re in pris on,
but only four w h o w ill s till be in pris on on 1
De ce m be r gave pe rm is s ion to publis h th e ir
nam e s .
Ke nne th Ek lund
Erno Pe nnane n (01/08/06— 17/02/07)
+ H e ls ingin työs iirtola, PL 36, 01531
Vantaa, Finland
Sante ri Lintune n
+ Ojois te n työs iirtola, PL 36, 01531
Vantaa, Finland
H annu Luode (01/08/06— 18/02/07)
+ Satak unnan vank ila, Köyliön os as to,
PL42, 32701 H uittine n, Finland
Gre e ce
In 2006, th e s ituation in Gre e ce did not
im prove , in s pite of broad inte rnational
atte ntion. Se ve ral COs are aw aiting th e
outcom e of th e ir appe al trials , and could
face im pris onm e nt.
Is rae l
Is rae l continnue s to im pris on draft re s is te rs
for th e re fus al to e nlis t in th e Is rae li m ilitary.
H ow e ve r, th e Is rae li practice of im pos ing
dis ciplinary s e nte nce s of up to 5 w e e k s
re pe ate dly m ak e s it im pos s ible to pre dict
now w h o w ill be in pris on on 1 De ce m be r.
Ple as e ch e ck W RI's w e bs ite for update s
and ne w ale rts at h ttp://w ri-irg.org/ne w s /ale rts .
Pue rto Rico
Jos é Pére z Gonzále z (21519 -069 )
(five ye ars – out 15/07/08)
+ Edge fie ld FCI, PO Box 725, Edge fie ld,
SC 29 824, USA
H as be e n s e nte nce d for cons piracy,
dam age to fe de ral prope rty, and/or
probation violation on 01/05/03 for re s is ting
th e US m ilitary bom bardm e nt of Vie q ue s ,
Pue rto Rico.
Rus s ia
Igor Sutyagin (15 ye ars )
+ 4279 65, Re s publik a Udm urtiya, g.
Sarapul; ul. Ras k olnik ova, 53-A, YaCh -
9 1/5, 14 otryad; Rus s ia
Im pris one d s ince 27/10/19 9 9 , now
convicte d of e s pionage for re s e arch ing
public nucle ar w e apons inform ation –
s e nte nce d 07/04/04.
South Kore a
In 2004, th e country's Supre m e Court and
Cons titutional Court rule d agains t th e righ t
to cons cie ntious obje ction. Th e re are about
1,000 cons cie ntious obje ctors in pris on, th e
gre at m ajority of th e m Je h ovah 's
W itne s s e s . Pre s e ntly, tw o cas e s are
pe nding be fore th e Unite d Nations ' H um an
Righ ts Com ite e .
Th is ye ar als o s aw w ide s pre ad prote s t
agains t th e re location of US bas e s in South
Kore a, w ith m any arre s ts .
Kim Ji Tae (#201, in 05/06/06)
+ Pye ongtae k Gu Ch e e So, Dong Sak -
Dong 245-1, Pye ongtae k , South Kore a
Im pris one d for nonviole nt re s is tance to
force d re location of farm ing com m unitie s
for US Arm y bas e e xpans ion. Trial
continue s until 3 Nove m be r 2006
USA
Gre g Boe rtje -Obe d
Mich ae l W alli
Carl Kabat O.M.I.
+ Burle igh County De te ntion Ce nte r, POB
1416, Bis m arck , ND58502
EW MD H e re dire ct dis arm am e nt of nucle ar
m is s ile s ilo E-9 in North Dak ota on 20 June
06 – aw aiting s e nte ncing on 04/12/06
H e le n W oods on (03231-045) (106
m onth s ― out 09 /09 /11)
+ FMC Cars w e ll, Max Unit, POB 27137,
Ft. W orth , TX 76127
Anti-w ar prote s t at th e fe de ral courth ous e ,
Kans as City, Mis s ouri, on 11/03/04 in
violation of parole follow ing re le as e from
pris on on 03/09 /04. Ple d guilty to violation
and four ne w ch arge s on 18/06/04.
Ke vin McKe e (40886-050) (24
m onth s ― out 05/11/07)
+ FCI Sch uyk ill Sate llite Cam p, POB 670,
Mine rs ville , PA 179 54
Jos e ph Donato (40884-050) (27 m onth s — out
31/01/08)
+ FCI Fairton, POB 420, Fairton, NJ
08320
Convicte d in De ce m be r 2004 for re fus al to
pay w ar taxe s on re ligious grounds
Rafil Dh afir (119 21-052) (22 ye ars — out
26/04/22)
+ FCI Fairton, POB 420, Fairton, NJ 08320
Aym an Jarw an (119 20-052) (18 m onth s — out
25/12/06)
Convicte d for providing h um anitarian and
financial aid to Iraq is in violation of US
s anctions , Fe bruary 2005
Augus tin Aguayo
+ US Arm y Confine m e nt Facility-Europe ,
Mannh e im , Ge rm any
Afte r h is application for cons cie ntious
obje ction w as de nie d, h e w e nt te m porarily
AW OL, is be ing h e ld in Ge rm any pe nding
re s olution of s tatus .
W alte r R. Clous ing
+ Bldg. 1041, PSC 20140, Cam p Le je une NC
28542
Se nte nce d on 12 Octobe r to 3 m onth s for
be ing AW OL
2
Th e Brok e n Rifle No 72, Nove m be r 2006
Pris one rs for Pe ace
Pris one rs for Pe ace H onour Roll 2006
Action
• On 1 De ce m be r, put as ide at le as t one h our and w rite at le as t four cards to
pris one rs ;
• Ge t your pe ace group or clas s or m e e ting place to organis e a card-w riting
s e s s ion;
• Se t up a s tall in your tow n ce ntre , pe rform a bit of s tre e t th e atre , or do w h ate ve r
e ls e it tak e s to attract atte ntion and inte re s t.
Se nding cards and le tte rs
• Alw ays s e nd your card in an e nve lope ;
• Include a re turn nam e and addre s s on th e e nve lope ;
• Be ch atty and cre ative : s e nd ph otos from your life , draw ings ;
• Te ll pris one rs w h at you are doing to s top w ar and w ar pre parations ;
• Don't w rite anyth ing th at m igh t ge t th e pris one r into trouble ;
• Th ink about th e s ort of th ing you'd lik e to re ce ive if you w e re in pris on;
• Don't be gin, "You are s o brave , I could ne ve r do w h at you h ave done ";
• Don't e xpe ct th e pris one r to re ply;
• Re m e m be r— ne xt ye ar it could be you ...
Support our future w ork
For 48 ye ars , W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational h as publicis e d th e nam e s and s torie s of
pris one rs of cons cie nce . H e lp us k e e p up th e tradition. Se nd in a s pe cial PfP donation
to W RI to h e lp fund ne xt ye ar's re s e arch .
Se nd contributions to: W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational, 5 Cale donian Rd, London N1 9 DX,
Britain (te l + 44-20-7278 4040; fax 7278 0444; e m ail pfp@ w ri-irg.org).
Your outre ach to pris one rs doe s m ak e a diffe re nce . Sh ow your s olidarity!
Donate online , and/or vis it W RI's w e bs h op, w h e re you can orde r W RI publications and
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uk .h tm
Online ve rs ion: h ttp://w ri-irg.org for all four language ve rs ions of th e PfP 2006 pack .
H ow th e lis t w ork s
Firs t are pris one rs ' nam e s (in bold),
follow e d by th e ir s e nte nce , th e n th e ir
place of im pris onm e nt w ith �+�and,
finally th e re as on for th e ir de te ntion.
Inform ation about countrie s w h e re
pris one rs h ave h ad th e ir s e nte nce s
s us pe nde d, or w h e re s e nte nce s h ave
be e n s e rve d or com ple te d during th e
ye ar, are in italics .
W orld Social Forum 2007, Ke nya
Pe ople 's Struggle s ,
Pe ople 's Alte rnative s
Th e W orld Social Forum
2007 w ill tak e place from 20-25
January 2007 in Nairobi, K e nya.
Follow ing up from W RI's confe -
re nce 'Globalis ing Nonviole nce '
in Ge rm any in July th is ye ar,
W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational w ill
be tak ing part in th e W orld So-
cial Forum w ith s e ve ral activi-
tie s , aim e d at h igh ligh ting non-
viole nce and prom oting antim i-
litaris m . W RI w ill us e th e oppor-
tunity e s pe cially to s tre ngth e n
contacts w ith oth e r groups in
Africa, and to build ne tw ork s in
s upport of Eritre an h um an righ ts
activis ts and draft e vade rs .
H ow e ve r, W ar Re s is te rs '
Inte rnational is not uncritical of
th e W orld Social Forum
proce s s . It w ill be e s pe cially
im portant to m ak e e fforts to
criticis e th e incre as e d role of
traditional le ftis t/m arxis t groups
in th e W SF, and e ve n m ore s o
th e s upport to m ilitaris t re gim e s ,
h ow e ve r progre s s ive th e y m igh t
pre s e nt th e m s e lve s .
Follow ing up from W RI's par-
ticipation in th e Alte rnative So-
cial Forum in Caracas in Janu-
ary 2006, W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rna-
tional aim s to organis e a s e m i-
nar 'Agains t All Militaris m ' at th e
W SF, w h ich w ill als o be a place
to dis cus s th e 'm ilitaris m of th e
le ft'.
W e as s um e th at m any W RI
activis ts w ill be in Nairobi.
Ple as e le t us k now in advance ,
and h e lp us to m ak e th e W RI
pre s e nce m ore vis ible and
e ffe ctive . W e are planning on
h aving a s tall at th e W SF, but
w e ne e d volunte e rs to h e lp us
s taff it, and w e are s ure th e re
w ill be lots of oth e r th ings to do.
But if w e k now of e ach oth e r,
th e n w e can als o us e th e W SF
to e xch ange our e xpe rie nce as
W RI activis ts .
And if you can't go - w e
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m ak e th e activitie s at th e W SF
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your donation for th e W SF
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your contribution cle arly w ith
"for W RI at W SF".
If you h ave any q ue s tions ,
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Th e Rus s ian m ilitary face s (at
le as t) tw o h um an righ ts proble m s :
de dovs h ch ina, th e h az ing of ne w
cons cripts in th e Rus s ian arm y
(s e e book re vie w be low ), and h u-
m an righ ts violations by Rus s ian
m ilitary in Ch e ch nya or oth e r con-
flict are as .
De dovs h ch ina
In 19 88, th e publication of an
article Kom s om ol's k aia Pravda, de -
s cribing an incide nt in w h ich a con-
s cript w h o h ad be e n th e victim of
ongoing abus e in th e barrack s
e ve ntually s nappe d and turne d
h is w e apon agains t h is fe llow s e r-
vice m e n, k illing e igh t, s tarte d th e
de bate about de dovs h ch ina. Th e
practice of de dovs h ch ina gave
ris e to anoth e r ph e nom e non m ore
or le s s uniq ue to pos t-Sovie t Rus -
s ia: th e Soldie rs ' Moth e rs ' Move -
m e nt.
For m any antim ilitaris ts , it is dif-
ficult to re late to th is m ove m e nt. It
can not re ally be clas s ifie d as anti-
m ilitaris t or pacifis t – th e m ain con-
ce rn for m any of th e activis ts is to
prote ct th e ir s ons from de dovs h ch -
ina in th e m ilitary. Mos t Soldie rs '
Moth e rs ' Com m itte e s prom ote th e
profe s s ionalis ation of th e Rus s ian
m ilitary as an ans w e r to th e prob-
le m of de dovs h ch ina.
H ow e ve r, th e Soldie rs ' Moth -
e rs ' Com m itte e s w e re and are im -
portant w h e n it com e s to
providing practical as s is tance to
young m e n w h o do not w ant to
join th e m ilitary for fe ar of de -
dovs h ch ina, and m ade m any h u-
m an righ ts abus e s in th e m ilitary
public, th us putting th e is s ue of de -
dovs h ch ina on th e age nda of Rus -
s ian s ocie ty, and contributing to
th e collaps e of th e Rus s ian con-
s cription s ys te m , and w ide s pre ad
draft avoidance .
In s pite of th e activitie s of th e
Soldie rs ' Moth e rs ', alm os t 20
ye ars late r, th ings did not im -
prove , as th e cas e of private
Sych yov s h ow s , w h o be cam e a
s ym bol of th e brutal re alitie s of
Rus s ian cons cription at th e be gin-
ning of th is ye ar.
According to re ports by th e
Moth e rs ' Righ ts Foundation,
"th re e th ous and s oldie rs on ave r-
age die e ve ry ye ar in th e Rus s ian
arm y. [...] 23% of de ath s in th e
arm y are attribute d to accide nts ,
16% to m ilitary ope rations , 15%
to oth e r s oldie rs ' aggre s s ive acts
and 11% to illne s s . Be s ide s , in
17% cas e s th e pe ris h e d s oldie r
w as th e only ch ild in th e fam ily
and 14% of pare nts , w h o los t
th e ir s on in m ilitary s e rvice , are dis -
able d pe rs ons . Pare nts of a pe r-
is h e d s oldie r can ge t a pe ns ion,
w h ich am ounts 70 dollars a
m onth , but th e y re ce ive it only if it
w as prove d th at th e caus e of
de ath w as n't a s uicide or an ill-
ne s s . In addition, inve s tigation of-
te n doe s n't tak e into
cons ide ration th at in m os t cas e s
a s oldie r w as drive n to s uicide
afte r e ve ryday h um iliation, brutal
torture s and h aras s m e nt. Accord-
ing to Ve ronica March e nk o, th e
las t ye ar is ch aracte riz e d by un-
us ually crue l m urde rs and num e r-
ous crim inal cas e s ."
Th e Rus s ian m ilitary is now re -
s ponding w ith a s h orte ning of m ilit-
ary s e rvice (to 1 ye ar from 2008
on), and incre as e d profe s s ionalis a-
tion. H ow e ve r, it is unlik e ly th at
th e s e s te ps w ill e lim inate th e prob-
le m s m e ntione d above , as th e y
are not accom panie d by s tructural
ch ange s .
Ch e ch nya
Ch e ch nya m ark s th e oth e r
s ide of h um an righ ts proble m s re -
late d to th e Rus s ian m ilitary: th e
s ys te m ic violation of h um an righ ts
of Ch e ch e n civilians by th e arm e d
force s . And incre as ingly th e s e
practice s s pre ad to th e ne igh bour-
ing re public Ingus h e tia. Am ne s ty
Inte rnational w rite s : “Se rious h u-
m an righ ts violations , including
w ar crim e s , continue to be com m it-
te d in Ch e ch nya by both Ch e ch e n
and fe de ral force s . Ch e ch e n s e cur-
ity force s are incre as ingly im plic-
ate d in arbitrary de te ntion, torture
and 'dis appe arance s ' in
Ch e ch nya. W om e n s uffe r ge nde r-
bas e d viole nce , including rape or
th re ats of rape , by m e m be rs of
th e fe de ral and Ch e ch e n s e curity
force s . Th e re are als o re ports th at
Ch e ch e n arm e d oppos ition
groups continue to com m it w ar
crim e s , including dire ct attack s on
civilians . Am ne s ty Inte rnational is
aw are of only tw o convictions dur-
ing 2005 for s e rious h um an righ ts
violations com m itte d in
Ch e ch nya. Th e m ajority of inve s tig-
ations into alle ge d violations are in-
e ffe ctive and in th e fe w cas e s th at
com e to court th e pros e cution is
flaw e d.”
“Viole nce and unre s t h ave
als o be e n re porte d in oth e r North
Caucas us re publics , including ab-
us e s s uch as arbitrary de te ntion,
torture , "dis appe arance s " and ab-
ductions . On 13 Octobe r 2005 a
group of up to 300 gunm e n
launch e d attack s on gove rnm e nt
ins tallations in and ne ar Nalch ik ,
th e capital of Kabardino-Balk aria,
in w h ich m ore th an 100 pe ople , in-
cluding at le as t 12 civilians , are re -
porte d to h ave be e n k ille d. Th e
raid w as re porte dly in re s pons e to
m onth s of pe rs e cution of prac-
tis ing Mus lim s in th e re gion, in-
cluding arbitrary de te ntion and
torture by law e nforce m e nt offi-
cials , and th e clos ure of
m os q ue s . Follow ing th e raid, law
e nforce m e nt officials de taine d
doz e ns of pe ople ; m any of th e de -
taine e s w e re re porte dly torture d.”
W h ile th e Europe an Court of
H um an Righ ts rule d agains t Rus -
s ia on th e dis appe arance s and
de ath of Ch e ch e n citiz e ns in Fe b-
ruary and on 12 Octobe r 2006,
th e s ituation doe s not im prove . In
its Fe bruary ruling, th e ECH R firs t
found Rus s ia guilty of s e rious h u-
m an righ ts violations in
Ch e ch nya, ruling th at Rus s ia h ad
us e d dis proportionate force in its
m ilitary ope rations , indis crim in-
ate ly targe te d civilians , and faile d
to ade q uate ly inve s tigate civilian
de ath s .
An anti-w ar m ove m e nt?
In s pite of w ide s pre ad de -
dovs h ch ina and th e w ar in
Ch e ch nya, th e re is no anti-w ar
m ove m e nt in Rus s ia to s pe ak of.
A fe w s m all groups – s om e Sol-
die rs ' Moth e rs ' Com m itte e s ,
Autonom ous Action, Me m orial,
and a fe w oth e rs , w ork m ore or
le s s is olate d from e ach oth e r w ith -
in Rus s ia agains t Rus s ia's “w ar
on te rror” in Ch e ch nya. Many Rus -
s ian activis ts place th e ir h ope s in-
to th e Europe an and inte rnational
ins titutions , and appe al to th e s e
to s top th e w ar in Ch e ch nya.
H ow e ve r, th is is unlik e ly to h ap-
pe n, e s pe cially as long as th e re is
no public oppos ition to th e w ar in
Rus s ia its e lf.
Andre as Spe ck
More inform ation:
- Autonom ous Action:
w w w .avtonom .org
- Me m orial: w w w .m e m o.ru
- Soldie rs ' Moth e rs ' Com m itte e s :
h ttp://w w w .ucs m r.ru
3
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BR72/11/06/e n-int
Donate to W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational
Th e Brok e n Rifle No 72, Nove m be r 2006 Pris one rs for Pe ace
Book re vie w
De dovs h ch ina in th e Pos t-Sovie t Military
H az ing of Rus s ian Arm y Cons cripts in a
Com parative Pe rs pe ctive
François e Dauće and Elis abe th Sie ca-Koz low s k i (e d.), ibide m , Stuttgart
2006
Th is book is not w ritte n from a
pacifis t pe rs pe ctive - h ardly s o,
and m any auth ors w rite from a
cle arly pro-m ilitary pe rs pe ctive .
But th is is not a w e ak ne s s , as w e
as re ade rs can e as ily add th is pe r-
s pe ctive . W h at th e book offe rs is
s om e ins igh t into th e ph e nom e non
of de dovs h ch ina - th e h az ing of
Rus s ian cons cripts to a de gre e un-
k now n in W e s te rn s ocie tie s .
Th e auth ors put de dovs h ch ina
in th e conte xt of th e Rus s ian pos t-
Sovie t s ocie ty - a conte xt ch aracte r-
is e d by a radical ch ange of rule s
w ith in s ocie ty - from Sovie t s tyle s o-
cialis m to w ild capitalis m - and in-
cre as e d s ocial de privation. But in
doing s o, it is not s ugge s te d th at de -
dovs h ch ina did not e xis t in Sovie t
tim e s - in fact, th e Soldie rs Moth -
e rs ' Com m itte e s firs t e xpos e d de -
dovs h ch ina unde r Gorbach e v.
In th e ir introduction, th e e ditors
w rite : "De dovs h ch ina is at th e
cros s roads of trans form ation
w h ich h ave tak e n place in Rus s ia
s ince th e dis appe arance of th e
USSR. Am ong oth e rs , it is th e con-
s e q ue nce of h is torical le gacy (So-
vie t and e ve n ts aris t), cultural
te ns ions (inte r-e th nic conflicts in
th e USSR), political dys functions
(lack of de m ocracy) and e conom ic
proble m s (lack of m one y in th e
arm y), all of w h ich com bine d e x-
plain th e longe vity of th is ne gative
ph e nom e non" (page 18).
Many Rus s ian groups advoc-
ate th e profe s s ionalis ation of th e
Rus s ian m ilitary as a s olution to
th e proble m of de dovs h ch ina,
w h ich th e y s e e as re late d to con-
s cription. H ow e ve r, th e auth ors of
th e book give ple nty of re as ons to
be m ore cautious about s uch an
(e as y) approach . In h is contribu-
tion, Joris van Blade l conclude s :
"If w e s pe ak about th e profe s s ion-
al arm e d force s w e h ave to be
care ful w h at w e e xactly m e an. If
w e m e an th at it is a w ay of re cruit-
ing s oldie rs , w ith out q ualitative
ch ange s in th e arm e d force s , w ith
its clos e dne s s as th e m os t im port-
ant fe ature , de dovs h ch ina w ill not
dis appe ar. Th e s am e m alfunctions
and abus e s w ill continue in th e
th e n ne w Rus s ian profe s s ional
arm e d force s " (page 29 8f). All
w e ll, and h e re w e can add our paci-
fis t pe rs pe ctive of de m ilitaris ation
of s ocie ty as an ans w e r to de -
dovs h ch ina.
Abus e r and abus e d
H um an Righ ts and th e Rus s ian m ilitary
Th e Rus s ian law on cons cie n-
tious obje ction cam e into force on
1 January 2004, introducing a
"righ t" to cons cie ntious obje ction
w h ich is not in line w ith inte rnation-
al s tandards , including a s ubs ti-
tute s e rvice 1.75 tim e s longe r
th an m ilitary s e rvice [1].
In practice - le aving th e long
s e rvice tim e as ide - proble m s
aris e m ainly from th e bure aucratic
application proce dure . An applica-
tion for cons cie ntious obje ction
h as to be s ubm itte d no late r th an
s ix m onth be fore call-up.
H ow e ve r, m any pote ntial COs are
not aw are of th e s e de adline s , and
th e draft boards ofte n give w rong
or incom ple te inform ation. Accord-
ing to Se rge y Krive nk o, s e cre tary
of th e All-Rus s ian NGO Coalition
for De m ocratic Alte rnative Civilian
Se rvice , th e re are cas e s of dire ct
m is inform ation of pe ople by offi-
cials of draft boards ; k now ingly giv-
ing w rong or ins ufficie nt
inform ation, s uch as th at th e righ t
to CO only applie s to pe ople w ith
re ligious be lie fs . H ow e ve r, m os t
draft boards do not provide inform -
ation on th e righ t to CO.
Pre s e ntly th e re are s e ve ral
cas e s w h e re an application for con-
s cie ntious obje ction w as de nie d be -
caus e of th e m is s e d de adline , and
s ubs e q ue ntly cons cie ntious obje ct-
ors w e re force d to pe rform m ilitary
s e rvice . Th is part of th e CO law is
pre s e ntly be ing ch alle nge d at th e
Cons titutional Court of th e Rus s i-
an Fe de ration.
Th e re are als o cas e s w h e re
th e draft board did not pas s on
CO applications to th e cons crip-
tion board - th e only body w h ich is
e m pow e re d to m ak e de cis ions on
CO applications .
Ove rall, s ince th e law on con-
s cie ntious obje ction cam e into
force , about 3,500 pe ople applie d
for cons cie ntious obje ction.
Pre s e ntly, th e re are no s tatis tics
available h ow m any applications
h ave be e n acce pte d or turne d
dow n. H ow e ve r, about one h un-
dre d pe ople contacte d h um an
righ ts organis ations in Rus s ia to
as k for h e lp be caus e of proble m s
w ith th e bure aucracy, and m os tly
w on th e ir righ t to CO s ub-
s e q ue ntly [2].
Cons cie ntious obje ction in Rus -
s ia h as to be s e e n in ligh t of th e
dis as trous s ituation w ith in th e m ilit-
ary, and w ide s pre ad draft avoid-
ance . According to a poll by th e
inde pe nde nt Le vada ce nte r, w ill-
ingne s s to s e rve in th e Rus s ian
m ilitary h as droppe d to le s s th an
40% at th e be ginning of 2006 [3].
H ow e ve r, for m os t young pe ople
draft avoidance - by m e ans of
"buying" m e dical e xe m ptions or
de fe rm e nts of m ilitary s e rvice - is
th e m e th od of ch oice , and not th e
le gally provide d form of cons cie n-
tious obje ction. Th is m e ans th at
CO num be rs do not re fle ct th e
w ide s pre ad dis conte nt w ith th e
Rus s ian m ilitary.
Andre as Spe ck
Note s :
[1] For a m ore de taile d criticis m of
Rus s ia's law on cons cie ntious ob-
je ction, s e e W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte r-
national: Th e Rus s ian Fe de ration:
H um an Righ ts and th e Arm e d
Force s ; re port to th e Unite d Na-
tions H um an Righ ts Com m itte e ,
Se pte m be r 2003, h ttp://w ri-
irg.org/ne w s /2003/un0309 ru.h tm
[2] Inform ation provide d by
Se rge y Krive nk o, e m ail to W RI,
19 Octobe r 2006
[3] A-Infos , 7 March 2006
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