[Peace] FW: important action required re refuseniks

[Tulsi Dharmarajan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 22:33:58 -0000
To: refusniks_updates at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [refusniks_updates] The 5 were sentenced to
another year in jail

The Parents Forum

January 4th  2004

In this letter you will find:
1.	Short summary of what happened in court on January
4th, 2004.
2.	Call for action  Fax to Brigadier General Gil
Regev
3.	Our new site with our new petition and call for
action
www.refuz.org.il
4. Yesh Gvoul demo on January 10th
========================== 1. Short Summary
====================The Central District Military
Court of the Israel Defence Forces sentenced the five
refusenicks, Noam Bahat, Hagai Matar, Adam Maor,
Shimri Tsameret and Matan Kaminer to one year in jail
for refusing to join the occupation army.

The court declared that the actions of the five put a
question mark over the justice and the morality of the
army's actions and challenge the legitimacy of the
state's behavior. In an impromptu press
conference attended by tens of journalists, the
refusenicks declared, that this was indeed their
intention and that they are proud of their actions and
that they will continue to challenge the occupation
until it ends.

Today's sentence is actually for a second year of
imprisonment, since the five have already been under
detention for approximately a year. The court
recommended that, after the year, the army consider
their discharge, but the prosecutor stated that after
a year the IDF will demand that they be mobilized or
face additional jail time.

The sentence was read out before a jam-packed
courtroom filled with families of the defendants,
supporters and representatives of the
media. A crowd of more than a hundred composed of
mainly young people crowded the entrance to the court
building and greeted the
refusenicks with cheers of support and encouragement.

This battle is very far from being over..


====================2. Fax Gil Regev  +972 3 569
2933===============We need your urgent help. Write to
Brigadier General Gil Regev. He has the authority to
allow or disallow the carrying out of the
sentence. Regev's fax number is
+972 3 569 2933. Below is a sample letter you can
download print sign and fax.
                       ===================To:
Brigadier General Gil Regev
       Head of the Manpower Department, I.D.F.
       Hakirya Tel Aviv
       M.P. 02919
       I.D.F


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 politically
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

=========== 3. The new petition on:
www.refuz.org.il===========5 COs jailed to deter a
generation of conscripts to the Israeli Army.

On 4 January, 2004, for their refusal to serve in the
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), 5 conscripted
Conscientious Objectors were sentenced to a year in
prison. The sentence is, in effect, an unlimited one
as the prosecution intend 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 at refuz.org.il  the
Refusniks Parents'
Forum Coordinator.

Join us in www.refuz.org.il

CHANGE A HISTORY OF OPPRESSION -  FORWARD THIS LETTER
TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

===========================4. Yesh Gvoul 
==========================Dear friend,

An Israeli military court has handed down one-year
prison sentences on draft-resisters Haggai Matar, Amir
Kaminer, Shimri Zameret, Adam Maor and Noam Bahat,
over their refusal to enlist in "the army of
occupation".  The sentence comes on top of a year and
more of pre- trial detention.

A military justice system that has remained
indifferent to hundreds of incidents of injury and
killing of unarmed Palestinian civilians, now proves
its dedication to the rule of law by its savage
treatment of five youngsters for the "offence" of
remaining true to conscience and refusing to take a
hand in the bloody campaign of repression.

WE WILL PROTEST THE SENTENCE BY A SOLIDARITY VIGIL AT
THE MILITARY PRISON #6 (ATHLIT) ON SATURDAY JAN. 10.
AT 12:30

JOIN US !

We urge our friends and supporters in other countries
to join in with solidarity actions !







__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus

_______________________________________________
Foil-l mailing list
Foil-l at insaf.net
http://insaf.net/mailman/listinfo/foil-l_insaf.net