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

Th e Brok e n Rifle is th e

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

e ve ryone w h o provide d th e

inform ation us e d in th is is s ue . If

you w ant e xtra copie s of th is

is s ue of Th e Brok e n Rifle ,

ple as e contact th e W RI office ,

or dow nload it from our w e bs ite .

W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational,

5 Cale donian Road,

London N1 9 DX, Britain

te l + 44-20-7278 4040

fax + 44-20-7278 0444

info@ w ri-irg.org

h ttp://w ri-irg.org/pubs /

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

Brok e n Rifle badge s us ing your cre dit or de bit card, at h ttp://w ri-irg.org/s h op/s h op-

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

urge ntly ne e d donations to

m ak e th e activitie s at th e W SF

pos s ible , If you w ant to e arm ark

your donation for th e W SF

activitie s of W RI, ple as e m ark

your contribution cle arly w ith

"for W RI at W SF".

If you h ave any q ue s tions ,

ple as e contact th e W RI office at

info@ w ri-irg.org.

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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