ISRAELI CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR IN MILITARY PRISON FOR THE SECOND TIME

[Mensaje recibido a través de Conscientious Objectors List; Thu, 04 Feb 1999]

Yehuda Agus, a 28-year old student from Jerusalem, was recognised by Amnesty International as a Prisoner of Conscience. Since Tuesday Agus had been incarcerated at Military Prison 4 for his refusal to perform a term of reserve service.

Agus, a conscientious objector, has several times called upon the military authorities to exempt him from the reserve service of one month every year which is required of male Jewish Israeli citizens until the age of 45, and which he stated were against the dictates of his conscience. All his appeals were rejected.

It should be noted that by Israeli law, women objecting to military service for reasons of conscience are explicitly eligible for exemption. The Minister of Defence is legally authorised to exempt male conscientious objectors as well. However, the committee to which the minister delegated this authority is composed solely of military officers who are hostile to conscientious objectors and who tend to reject out of hand all appeals - even of those with the most well-founded pacifist convictions.

Agus has already served a prison term of 14 days in November; his present term is for 28 days. It is not irregular for the Israeli authorities to try and break conscientious objectors by repetitious short terms of imprisonment like in Agus's case.

YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED. Agus should be immediately released. Israel's violation of freedom of conscience must end. The ill-treatment of conscientious objectors must be terminated.

PLEASE,

E-MAIL letters to Yehuda Agus can be sent to the e-mail address below.

FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS CALL:
Ms. Moran Cohen 972-2-6222790
morac@netvision.net.il

TO: Minister of Defence Mr. Moshe Arens
Fax: 972-3-6976218

Prisoner of Conscience Yehuda Agus

I request that you bring about the immediate release of Yehuda Agus, who is imprisoned for the second time due to his conscientious objection to serving in the Israeli Defence Forces.

Yehuda Agus, aged 28 from Jerusalem, was sentenced on 26 January 1999 to 28 days in a military prison for his refusal to enlist in active reserve duty. In November 1998 Yehuda also served 14 days in prison for this refusal.

Yehuda is a conscientious objector to military service. In a letter sent to minister of defence in November, he wrote: "I object to the oppression, both personal and systemic, that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) utilise in order to destroy the individuality of those serving in its ranks and to transform them into anonymous cogs in the machine. The IDF brainwashes its soldiers with a militaristic and unthinking outlook, which results in mediocrity in both thought and spirit. I view the military uniforms, national flag and military unit pride as oppressors of the individualistic and free human being.

Furthermore, it will be difficult for me to ignore the fact that the State of Israel, via the IDF, has oppressed the Palestinian people for over 50 years through violent killings, theft and conquest. However, I must also state that even without the current political situation in Israel, I would refuse to serve in the army. My refusal is universal. I object to every army in every country…"

Yehuda's contacts with you and the IDF forces, that he may be exempted from military service according to law, were rejected. Yehuda wrote to minister of defence:

"I did my utmost to prevent a situation in which I would be forced to refuse an order, but at the same time I do not intend to refuse the order of my conscience."

The security establishment ignores Yehuda's fundamental human right to freedom of conscience. This establishment prefers to abuse Yehuda and imprison him for the second time in less than three months, while refusing to listen to his arguments. Yehuda is not a criminal. He is imprisoned because of his beliefs.

Yehuda Agus was recognised as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, and an international struggle to free him is currently being conducted.

I wish to add my voice to the call for his immediate release:

Name:
Address:
Profession:
Telephon number:

copy: Colonel Nissim Barda, Head of the Draft Board, fax 972-3-5695603

Ilan Shalif
Tel-Aviv 61132 ISRAEL (Occupied Palestain)
gshalif@netvision.net.il
http://www.shalif.com/anarchy/
http://members.tripod.com/~alternativ_psy/anarchy.html
http://flag.blackened.net/ishalif/anarchy.html
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/3150/Anarchy.html

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