From my e-mail:
On 4 January, 2004 Five conscripted Conscientious Objectors were sentenced to an additional year in prison on top of the year they have been held for refusing to serve in the IDF. The sentence is, in effect, an unlimited one as the prosecution intends to jail them till they agree to serve. That’s the price they will pay for refusing to be part of the brutal occupation.
The 5 COs are being punished because of their convictions – the severity of the punishment reflects the Israeli government’s fear of those convictions. The Government needs programmed soldiers – its policy is to intimidate all conscripts by jailing these COs until they break.
We will not let this happen !! Sign the Petition for the immediate release of the 5 conscientious objectors at www.refuz.org.il .
How many people will it take to convince the Israeli government that intimidation of people with a conscience is unacceptable … 1,000? 100,000? Or a million?? Whatever it takes we intend to get it! Be part of our campaign!
Signing the petition will not be enough. We need you to open doors in your community – advise us who to approach – in what organization – perhaps using your name as an introduction — and any other ideas that you have to spread the word. Together we can create “the great moral uprising” we need to get them out.
Send us an email at alexmaor@refuz.org.il the Refusers Parents’ Forum Coordinator.
Join us in www.refuz.org.il
CHANGE A HISTORY OF OPPRESSION – FORWARD THIS LETTER TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW
A sample letter to the Commander of the IDF Manpower Dept.:
To: Brigadier General Gil Regev
Head of the Manpower Department, I.D.F.
ZAHAL Hakirya Tel Aviv Israel
M.P. 02919
Fax +972-3-5692933
Dear Sir,
I was appalled to hear about the draconian sentence that was meted out to the five conscientious objectors, Adam, Noam, Haggai, Matan, and Shimri.
These young men have been sentenced to a year in military prison in addition to already having been imprisoned for over a year. In the past 30 years, no country priding itself as a democracy has handed out such a severe punishment to conscientious objectors.
These 5 CO’s were found to be guilty for (daring to declare) their opposition to Israel’s policy of occupation in the territories. The decision to incur upon them such a harsh sentence is politicallly motivated and therefore unjustifiable. In the past, you, yourself, have spoken out on the need for a framework to allow civilian service for young Israeli citizens. THIS IS ALL THAT THESE YOUNG MEN ARE REQUESTING.
In your hands lies the authority to allow or disallow the carrying out of the sentence. I ask you to nullify the decision of the military court and thereby prevent this gross miscarriage of justice.
undersigned