refuz.org.il
Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost
EJJP Deutschland

4. Protesterklärung

Am 4. Januar 2004 wurde das Strafmaß für fünf junge Verweigerer des Militärdienstes in den Gebieten (Westbank und Gaza) vom Militärgericht auf ein Jahr Militärgefängnis festgesetzt. Hagaj Matar, Matan Kaminer, Shimri Tsameret, Adam Maor und Noam Bahat befinden sich seitdem im Militärstrafvollzug.

Alle Fünf hatten "jegliche Mittäterschaft an der völkerrechtswidrigen und amoralischen Besetzung der palästinensischen Gebiete" aus Gewissensgründen abgelehnt. Das "Refusers’ Parents Forum", ein Forum von Eltern der Verweigerer, berichtet nun, dass seitens des Militärs die Absicht bestehe, die fünf Inhaftierten in den Zivilstrafvollzug zu überführen. Der Grund: Ihre Widerständigkeit stelle langfristig eine ernste Gefahr für den Militärstrafvollzug dar.

Nach Überführung der Gewissensverweigerer in ein Zivilgefängnis werden sie mit gewöhnlichen Kriminellen zusammen sein. Nach Ansicht des Eltern-Forums soll, angesichts der Wirkungslosigkeit der bisherigen Abschreckungsmaßnahmen, alles unternommen werden, um die couragierten Verfechter der Menschenrechte zu kriminalisieren und in der Öffentlichkeit zu desavouieren.

In dieser Maßnahme sehen sie eine Schikane und einen weiteren Beleg für eine inhumane und undemokratische Politik und Militäradministration, die vermutlich die Drohung des Anklägers, Hauptmann Yaron Kostelitz, wahr machen soll, der während der gerichtlichen Hauptverhandlung bei seinem Plädoyer für ein hartes Strafmaß verkündete: "Wer nicht aus Liebe dient, muss dazu gezwungen werden, es aus Angst tun".

Kostelitz meinte außerdem: "Es ist ja gerade der Umstand, dass sie Idealisten sind - und in vielerlei Hinsicht sehr positive Charaktere, der ihnen erschwerend zur Last zu legen ist, denn genau dies erleichtert ihnen doch Anhänger zu finden und ihre verwerfliche Gesinnung weiter in die Gesellschaft hinein zu tragen. Es ist nicht wichtig wie lange es dauern wird, bis sie gehorchen. Am Ende werden wir sie dazu bringen zu gehorchen. Wenn eine härtere Bestrafung, und die Angst vor einer noch härteren Bestrafung, der einzige Weg ist Gehorsam zu erlangen, dann ist dies eben der Weg, den wir gehen müssen".

Die ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) hat die Verteidigung der Fünf übernommen. Da die fünf Gewissensverweigerer mit ihrem Mut den Kampf für elementare und international anerkannte Menschenrechte führen, haben sich der "Arbeitskreis Nahost Berlin", die "Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost - EJJP Deutschland" und "amnesty international" mit den Protestierenden in Israel solidarisiert und erklären:

• Die Gewissensverweigerer gehören nicht in den Zivilstrafvollzug.

• Die Gewissensverweigerer gehören nicht in den Militärstrafvollzug.

• Wir fordern ihre unverzügliche Freilassung!

Berlin, 17. Februar 2004-02-15

ai - amnesty international
Arbeitskreis Nahost Berlin
Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost - EJJP Deutschland

Prof. Dr. Fanny-Michaela Reisin
reisin@tfh-berlin.de
Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost
EJJP Deutschland

Wehrdienstverweigerung:
Der kategorische Imperativ
Ich bin kein Pazifist – nicht in dem Sinne, jedes Waffentragen total zu verweigern. Mein Herz ist mit Yonathan Ben-Artzi, der jetzt wegen seiner kompromisslosen pazifistischen Haltung vor Gericht steht...

Tagesthemen (Video):
Dienstverweigerung in der Sajereth MatKal

Tel-Aviv, February 17, 2004 - - Report by Adam Keller on behalf of the Refusers Parents’ Forum - - Early morning  at one Tel-Aviv's main arteries. On one side the  Twin Towers of the Azrieli Commercial Center. On the other side, a monster of concrete and glass being constructed to house the expanding Ministry of Defence. In between, a group of demonstrators holding up the placards "Release the Prisoners of Conscience". Leaflets were handed out to the big stream of mostly rear-echelon soldiers on their way to the morning shift.

At nine, not far from there - in the courtroom of the Military Appeals Court - a surrealistic scene - the testimony by Colonel Major Ochana, Deputy Commander of the Israeli Military Police Corps. "Ever since these five arrived at Military Prison-6, in January, their presence is completely undermining discipline and good order in the prison. The prison commandant and the entire staff are mainly concerned with them, and have no time and energy left for the rest of the five hundred prisoners. They are political activists with their own agenda, completely unfitting for the conditions of a military prison, governed by military discipline. Therefore, we demand that they be forthwith be transferred to a civilian prison." He was addressing the committee concerned with such prisoner transfers, convened at the Appeals Court hall.

Persistently questioned by advocate Avner Pinchuk appointed by the civil rights association ACRI to defend the five, Colonel Ochana could mention no other example than Shimri Tzameret  publishing a prison blog on the internet "in contravention of prison regulations." The military authorities had been quite tardy in stamping upon this dangerous subversive activity which Tzameret maintained with the mediation of his grandmother. It had gone on for nearly a year, and in fact during the five's court martial the prosecutor had extensively quoted from the blog in his speeches. "There is much more, but I can't disclose it right now for fear of compromising intelligence sources" was the Colonel's way of saving his face. In fact, the committee obliged him by holding a session in camera, expelling the five, their lawyer, and the entire audience of supporters and family members. The five, Noam Bahat, Matan Kaminer, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar and Shimri Tzameret, seemed rather amused, as they sat in the sun on the lawn outside the courtroom, surrounded by parents and girl friends. Their good spirits were undampened by their being handcuffed two by two (the sixth one being a non-political transfer case). "The prison intelligence officer does maintain a network of spies and informers, and tries to give the prisoners the impression that he knows everything. But I doubt that they have anything real on us to say in there", said Haggai Matar.

One by one, the five were called back in, to give their own testimony and state their position towards the possibility of going to a civilian prison. Each in turn repeated the position which they had agreed upon: "We consider the intention of transferring us to a civilian prison as part of the campaign of harassment by the military authorities." Colonel Elisha Caspi, presiding judge grew impatient: "Why do you persist in throwing out this abstract principles? Do you have no personal preferences? No practical considerations?" The five did not oblige him. "But why?" exclaimed the military prosecution representative, Lieutenant Colonel Inbar.  "You don't want to be soldiers. You don't accept military discipline. Why then are you trying to stick to the military prison? Would you not rather move to a civilian prison where you will not will have to get up at 5am, stand at roll calls the whole day, and address every guard with 'Sir', and where you will have a much better chance to have your term reduced for good behavior?"

"If we are not fitting for a military framework and military discipline, then the army really should send us out of the military prison, not to a civilian prison - but home. After all, our entire court martial turned on the issue whether or not we are to be soldiers, and there the army firmly insisted that we should. The civilian prison is a place for people who have done something wrong in civil society. We have not committed a light traffic offence."

This was followed by a speech of adv. Pinchuk. "The military system is exhibiting a completely irrational hysteria towards these five guys, as if they carry in their pocket atomic bombs, ready to explode. The claim of "secret intelligence material" is void of any substance. They are not on trial here, they have already been tried and sentenced. They are not here because of any activity on their part, but because of their very essence as refusers, as people who follow the dictates of their conscience. Their integrity and courage to refuse is perceived as a threat."

Lieutenant Colonel Inbar addressed an identical question to each of the five in turn: "If you stay in Prison-6, would you be willing to oblige yourself to the prison commandant to adhere to military discipline without exception?" The answers were very much alike: "In the month and half that we are in Prison-6 we have obeyed the orders given to us, but we can't give a blanket promise for the future. If we get an order contradicting our conscience, we will not obey."

Colonel Ochana pounced upon this answer. "You see! They are not willing to abide by the most basic obligation, keeping military discipline in the prison. For example, we have started a project of taking prisoners out to do work on the Security Fence. Do you think that if we ordered these five to do it, they would obey?" The faces of some of the other officers present showed some consternation. To threaten imprisoned refusers with being sent to work on the very disputed fence, due next week to be on the agenda of the International Court in The Hague, that seemed to be going a bit far for them.

The members of the military committee remained closeted for more than an hour, to come out and announce that the decision will be given on an other day.

On March 3, the next act is due on the same place: the appeal prepared by adv. Dov Chenin against both the conviction of the five and the length of their term.

Yoni Ben Artzi

It began yesterday with the curious decision of the army's Conscience Committee which had dealt for the fourth consecutive time with the case of Yoni Ben Artzi. The committee had no wish to deal with the issue again, but they were obliged to do it by the unanimous verdict of the military court, whose three judges declared themselves convinced of the sincerity of Ben Artzi's pacifist convictions and threw the ball back into the committee' court. The resolution, transmitted by fax to the office of advocate Avigdor Feldman, was an unparalleled piece of convoluted thinking and narrow- mindedness. "He is not a pacifist, but an egocentric person, to be discharged on grounds of incompatibility, rather than conscience."  In order to proof their point they cited his being kept in open detention at the Michve Alon Camp, where soldiers lacking basic education are brought to learn. "He preferred to spend months in complete idleness, rather than help these unfortunates." The truth is a bit different: upon his arrival at this camp, Ben Artzi offered to teach them basic mathematics (his specialty). After two weeks the lessons were discontinued by the camp authorities - officially because "Ben Artzi is not a qualified teacher."

"They are letting me go with as bad a grace as they could manage. I expected nothing else from them" said Yoni Ben Artzi when asked for comment. For more information: mbartzi@yahoo.com

see also Ha'aretz: Panel: Exempt Ben-Artzi due to 'incompatibility'   By Lili Galili, Haaretz Correspondent
Hebrew http://www.haaretz.co.il/.. 
English http://www.haaretzdaily.com/..

hagalil.com 18-01-2004