Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 27. April
2009 / Time Line April 27, 2009
Version 3.0
26. April 2009, 28. April 2009
04/27/2009
Information from the office of War Resisters' International
On 26 April 2009, five members of WRI's Israeli affiliate New
Profile were detained by Israeli police, their homes raided, and
their computers, and also computers of partners, seized. Among
those detailed was also Sergeiy Sandler, a member of the WRI
Council and Executive Committee. All those detained were
interrogated at Ramat Hachiyal police station in the Yarkon Region
of the police. After the interrogation, all five were released, but
only after agreeing to bail conditions which do not allow them to
contact each other in the coming thirty days. The computers of
partners were returned, but not the computers of those detained.
Other Israeli activists have been summoned to report to the same
police station today (27 April 2009).
The reason given by the police is an investigation against the
website of New Profile
(http://www.newprofile.org)
and Target 21
(http://www.target-21.h1.ru/),
a Russian language website for violations to article 109 of the
Israeli criminal law, incitement to draft evasion. The
investigation had been opened in September 2008, following an order
of Israel's Attorney General Menachem Mazuz. This followed the
declaration of a “war on draft evasion” by Defense
Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi in summer
2008.
New Profile is an Israeli feminist organisation for the
civilization of Israeli society, established ten years ago. The
movement has been warning for years of the exaggerated and
destructive influence of Israeli militarism on civilian life, and
provides legal aid and social support to young people desiring not
to do military service, both for political and personal reasons.
New Profile provides information about different options, enabling
young men and women to make a conscious choice, but does not
advocate any specific course of action.
While New Profile is now the target of a criminal investigation,
aimed at shutting down the organisation and its website for
incitement to draft evasion, it has to be pointed out that not New
Profile, but the state of Israel is violating international law by
not providing for the right to conscientious objection (Article 18
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). This
has been repeatedly stated by several United Nations bodies
[1].
If the Israeli government is concerned at the extent of rejection
of military service by Israeli youth, then it should not harass
those who offer good counsel but rather recognise the growing
revulsion at the role the Israeli Defence Forces play – using
criminal methods to maintain an occupation that is itself
illegal.
War Resisters' International strongly condemns the present
investigation against its affiliate New Profile, and the detention
of New Profile activist. It strongly condemns the bail conditions
that were imposed on their release, which are aimed at disrupting
the important work of New Profile.
War Resisters' International demands an end to the investigation
against New Profile and its activists, and the immediate lifting of
bail conditions, and the return of all properties seized.
War Resisters' International asks concerned citizens wherever they
may be to write a protest letter to
Menachem Mazuz
Attorney General
29, Saladin Street
Jerusalem 91010
Fax: +972-2-6467001; Tel: +972-2-6466522
Email: menim@justice.gov.il
(A protest email can be sent at http://wri-irg.org/node/7449)
The War Resisters' International Executive Committee, 28 April
2009
[1] I.e. Human Rights Committee: Concluding observations of the
Human Rights Committee: Israel. 21/08/2003. CCPR/CO/78/ISR.
(Concluding Observations/Comments),
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CCPR.CO.78.ISR.En?Opendocument;
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: OPINION No. 24/2003 (ISRAEL),
28 November 2003,
http://wri-irg.org/node/6481
04/27/2009
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