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Update on imprisoned objectors - 19 Aug 2002Sunday 18 Aug 2002
author: New Profile ([email protected])
summary
We currently know of 16 objectors being held in military prisons in Israel. One of them, Victor Sabransky, has been imprisoned for the 5th time in a row.
PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY
Dear friends,
To the best of our knowledge, there are 16 objectors currently held in the military prisons of Israel. Of these 16, many have unusual background. Five of the imprisoned objectors were involved in appeals to the Supreme Court against the army. Some of them are key activists in two of the objectors' groups. Some of the prisoners this time also have some interesting family lineage - two are the sons of prominent peace activists, one is the son of a controversial police chief and one is even related to a former Israeli Prime Minister.
However, there is one case, perhaps less glamorous, which this time deserves special attention. Objector Victor Sabransky went to prison for the FIFTH time in a row a week ago, with more than 100 days in prison behind him. More details on Victor's case appear below, but it is important to state already at this stage, that this is a case that requires especially intensive action, both for the sake of Victor himself and for the sake of other draft resisters, who might find themselves in a similar situation in the future.
At the end of this update, in a special sub-section of the Recommended Action part, we list some important recommendations and background materials for focused action on Victor Sabransky's case. Please read this part of the update with special attention and make an effort to take action on his case.
The rest of the update is divided, as usual, into three sections: information about objectors Out of Prison, Prisoner Reports and Recommended Action. For greater convenience we this time divided the Recommended Action section into several sub-sections.
OUT OF PRISON
=============
All the objectors on whose imprisonment we reported in our last update were released from prison. Objector Itamar Shachar is likely to be imprisoned again somewhere in the near future.
Objector Victor Sabransky spent his fourth prison term (this time of 14 days) in the period between our last update and the present one. He has already been imprisoned for the fifth time. See more details on his case below.
Objector Asher Albo refuses to perform reserves service in the Israeli army because he opposes the continuation of mandatory draft in Israel. He was held in military prison for a period of 7 days between 30 July and 6 Aug. At present he is not in danger of further imprisonment, although he might be imprisoned again in the more distant future.
PRISONER REPORTS
================
This section contains information about all declared objectors we know to be held in prison at the moment. The information on the objectors is sorted according to the date on which the objector was arrested, with the most recent cases placed first. Thanks to Yesh-Gvul, Courage to Refuse and the Letter of the Seniors for providing much of the information contained in this report.
1. Uri Ya'acobi
Objector Uri Ya'acobi, aged 18, from Jerusalem, was sentenced on Thursday (14 Aug.) to 14 days in military prison due to his conscientious objection to military service. Uri is among the signatories of the Letter of the Seniors (a letter sent by 62 Israeli youths to Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in which they announce their refusal to serve the occupation; the text of the letter can be found on http://www.newprofile.org/english/letters.html). He is also an activist in the organisation formed by the signatories of the letter. Uri is the fifth among the signatories of this letter to be imprisoned for his beliefs.
In a statement prepared shortly before his imprisonment, he wrote:
"The most sophisticated machine known to us is the human being. This is a machine so amazing that it has well-developed abilities of thought, emotion and conscience. I, being one of these machines, fail to recognise my right to terminate the life of another human being and thus to discontinue the persistent current of those same thoughts, to bring about the total cessation of that consciousness, regardless of whether this action would be justified to take on my part or not. I also fail to recognise my right to assist others in this terrible destruction of other life or to be part of an organisation willing to use means causing such terrible loss. I do not deny that other people may have such a right in very specific and justified cases, but I, personally, am not willing to kill anyone under any circumstances.
"The Israeli army does not refrain from using killing to attain its goals, and I therefore am unwilling to become part of it in any form or to assist it in any way.
"A special military committee that interviewed me for fifteen minutes has discussed my case and has probably reached one of two conclusions: either I am lying, and my conscience does allow me to serve in the army, or that I do not have a conscience. In either case, I disagree with the decision of this committee not to exempt me on grounds of conscience, and I persist in my refusal to join the Israeli army, even though I am aware of the fact that I thus will be breaking the law. I would rather break the law and not violate the imperative of my conscience, and I am aware of the fact that I will be sent to prison as a result.
"I call upon all people, who like me feel that their conscience instructs them not to enlist in the army or to restrict the extent of their military service, to do so and to put their conscience above any law, command or social consensus."
Uri Ya'acobi is due to be out of prison on 26 Aug., and is very likely to be imprisoned again afterwards. His prison address is:
Uri Ya'acobi
Military ID 7342725
Military Prison No. 4
Military postal code 02507, IDF
Israel
You can also e-mail Uri at mailto:[email protected]
2. Shachar Smooha
Objector Shachar Smooha, a 30-year-old journalist from Tel-Aviv, began serving a 28-day prison sentence on 14 Aug. for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. He is expected to be released from prison on 8 Sep. His prison address is:
Shachar Smooha
Reserves ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
3. Yuval Ron
Objector Yuval Ron, a 25-year-old student from Tel-Aviv, was sentenced on 13 Aug. to 28 days in prison for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. He is due out of prison on 6 Sep. His prison address is:
Yuval Ron
Reserves ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
4. Yaniv Itzkovitsch
Objector Yaniv Itzkovitsch, a 27-year-old student from Tel-Aviv, was sentenced on 13 Aug. to 28 days in prison for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. He is due out of prison on 6 Sep. His prison address is:
Yaniv Itzkovitsch
Reserves ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
5. Ron Smielansky
Objector Ron Smielansky, refusing to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories, was imprisoned on 13 Aug. We do not have certain information on the length of his sentence, but it is most likely that the sentence was 28 days. If this is indeed so, he would be out of prison on 6 Sep. His prison address is:
Ron Smielansky
Reserves ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
6. Dror Beuml
Objector Dror Beuml, aged 18, from Yuvalim, in the north of Israel, was sentenced on 12 Aug. to 28 days in prison for his conscientious objection to military service. Dror is a signatory of the Letter of the Seniors and an activist in the organisation formed by the signatories of that letter. He is the fourth signatory of that letter to be imprisoned for his beliefs.
In a statement Dror prepared for the occasion of his imprisonment he writes:
"The process at the end of which I decided not to serve in the army started some four years ago, when my older brother, a conscript in an infantry battalion, was sent to a tour of duty in South Lebanon. I then joined my mother [New Profile activist Atalia Beuml], who was active in the Four Mothers movement, protesting against the war I too considered to be purposeless and senseless. In fact, the needless endangering of the lives of my brother and his brothers-in-arms made me contemplate on the issue of just and unjust wars. After much deliberation, both internal and in debates with other people, I reached the conclusion that every war is unnecessary and that there is therefore no such thing as a just war. All wars are the results of choices made by leaders.
"From reason and from experience we know that war has two reasons: inequality and the personal utility of leaders. Therefore, in order to prevent war, one should fight poverty, rather than fight against the violence of the poor, and citizens should protect their own interests rather than serve the interests of their leaders, who in turn serve the interests of capitalists.
"It is today clear to me beyond doubt that the organisation called 'state', whose seeming purpose is to protect the citizens of the state, was only created to serve rulers and capitalists. It is clear that the division of the world into states has only created ever more conflicts, directed by state leaders, and has caused much greater damage than the good it was supposed to deliver. This division has caused many wars, in which citizens are required to give their money, and worse still, their lives, to the state that only uses and abuses them.
"It is time for the young people of the whole world to know that there is no conflict that cannot be justly solved in peaceful ways and that therefore the blood spilt is spilled in vain. The struggle of all nations should be directed solely against their leaders.
"In order not to allow state leaderships to exploit us further and in order to stop this damage caused to us, which is getting worse every day, it is my duty and the duty of every decent person, to oneself and to one's environment, to refuse to serve the state. Consequently, today, as my peers are going to be enlisted, I shall refuse to enlist in the army, and will be sent to prison for that."
Dror Beuml is due to be released from prison on 6 Sep., and is very likely to be imprisoned again afterwards. His prison address is:
Dror Beuml
Military ID 7282965
Military Prison No. 4
Military postal code 02507, IDF
Israel
You can also send messages of support to Dror by e-mail at mailto:[email protected].
Note that Dror Beuml is now held in Military Prison No. 4, but will probably be moved to Military Prison No. 6 in the coming days.
7. Aviad Reutgrund
Objector Aviad Reutgrund was sentenced on 12 Aug. to 28 days in prison for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. He is due out of prison on 6 Sep. His prison address is:
Aviad Reutgrund
Reserves ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
8. Victor Sabransky - 5th Imprisonment
Victor Sabransky, an 18-year-old draft resister from Naharia, was sentenced on 11 Aug. to 28 days in prison. This is his fifth (!) prison term in a row.
According to the existing policy in the Israeli army, as far as we know, a draft resister should accumulate 90 or more days in military prison before being referred to an Incompatibility Committee, which exempts the resister from military service. Victor has already accumulated more than 90 days of imprisonment after his fourth prison term. However, the officers at the Military Induction Base nevertheless refused to refer him to that committee, and have instead sent him to prison for the fifth time.
Our information tells us that this was probably an arbitrary decision made by one particular officer in the Induction Base. This officer was vested by the military system with the authority to keep objectors in prison for as many times as he likes. It is also likely that the decision to send Victor to prison again reflects a general pattern of discrimination. This is not the first time for immigrants from the former USSR and for Druse soldiers to be kept in military prison more times and longer than other soldiers and objectors.
This state of affairs requires especially vigorous action on Victor Sabransky's case. In the Recommended Action section of this update there is a special sub-section devoted specifically to the case of Victor Sabransky, containing detailed recommendations for action on his case.
In a letter to the Minister of Defence announcing his objection Victor wrote:
“I was raised on democratic values... I believe in full equality among people... I am sure the main reason I have not yet declared refusal is the fear... and the social pressure applied... by the Israeli society to enlist in the State's military forces... I am not a soldier at all, I am still a boy and I was born into this world to live and not to die in the Territories for the misguided policy of the State and the Military...”
Victor should to be released from prison on 5 Sept. It is possible that he will then be imprisoned again, for the 6th time in a row!
His prison address is:
Victor Sabransky
Military ID 7312440
Military Prison 4
Military Postal code 02507, IDF
Israel
9. Jonathan Ben-Artzi
Pacifist objector Jonathan Ben-Artzi, a 19-year-old student of physics and mathematics from Jerusalem, was sentenced on 8 Aug. to 28 days in prison for refusing to enlist. Jonathan's photo is posted above.
Prior to this, Jonathan has filed two appeals to the Supreme Court of Israel, demanding to be recognised as a conscientious objector (as many of you know, there is no legally recognised CO status for men in Israel). Despite some important achievements made in these appeals, they were eventually turned down.
In a declaration he prepared before going to prison Jonathan wrote:
"I, Jonathan Ben-Artzi, am refusing to join the army on grounds of pacifism. My profound convictions in non-violence began when I was a small child, and developed over the years into a broad political philosophy. Because of my beliefs, my own country is going to imprison me, in defiance of international laws, basic moral values and fundamental human rights. I will go to prison proudly, knowing that this is the least I can do to improve this country, and to promote the cause of pacifism."
Jonathan is due out of prison on 2 Sept. It is highly likely that he will be imprisoned again soon afterwards. His prison address is:
Jonathan Ben-Artzi
Military ID 7169436
Military Prison No. 4
Military postal code 02507, IDF
Israel
Letters of support for Jonathan can be sent to this e-mail address: mailto:[email protected].
10. Yoni Yechezkel
Objector Yoni Yechezkel, aged 18, from Haifa, was sentenced on 8 Aug. to 14 days in prison for his conscientious objection to military service. Yoni is a signatory of the Letter of the Seniors. He is the third signatory of that letter to be imprisoned for his beliefs.
In a letter to the Minister of Defence, announcing his objection, he writes:
"...As there is no way to impose on a person a way of thinking or some emotion - the imposition of actions and statements without the real understanding of their importance is temporary and is bound to explode. Violence and forcefulness would not prevent violence and forcefulness, and any attempt to show the 'other side' why the use of force and violence is useless, by applying greater force, is absurd and ridiculous. The only way to resolve conflicts - on both the political and the personal level - is by honest and open rapprochement between the two sides.
"Every army, and that of the State of Israel in particular, is a violent organisation, trying to use its forcefulness to oppress the public, with the aim of serving the narrow interests of the military leadership. The army is not a body that oppresses people merely outside of it. Inside its ranks, too, it treats its soldiers as objects having the sole purpose of serving it, using force, in the repression of the rights and free thought of its soldiers...
"...I believe that war, and the present war between Israel and the Palestinians exemplifies this all too well, is a tool in the hands of the powerful, aimed to turn the oppressed one against the other and to distract them from those who truly keep them in chains..."
Yoni Yechezkel is due to be released from prison on 20 Aug., and is very likely to be imprisoned again afterwards. His prison address is:
Yoni Yechezkel
Military ID 7246523
Military Prison No. 4
Military postal code 02507, IDF
Israel
You can also send messages of support to Yoni by e-mail at mailto:[email protected].
11-14. Rami Kaplan, Shacham Romach, Uri Fein and Maor Parsai
Rami Kaplan, Shacham Romach, Uri Fein and Maor Parsai - four signatories of the Courage to Refuse declaration (http://www.seruv.org.il) - were imprisoned on 6 Aug. for 28 days each for their refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. They are due to be released on 30 Aug.
Rami Kaplan (29) is single and is studying for his Master’s degree in Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. He is a Major in reserves and one of the leaders of Courage to Refuse. Shacham Romach, also from Tel-Aviv, is 26 and works as a barman. Uri Fein is a 28-year-old cinema student from Tel-Aviv as well. We have no further details about Maor Parsai.
All four were given their sentences in late July, but did not go to prison right away because they joined the Supreme Court appeal filed by their fellow objector David Sonschein. Sonschein himself is still free pending the decision of the Supreme Court on his renewed appeal.
The following case description was sent out by Yesh-Gvul. It pertains to the case of Rami Kaplan, but the relevant legal details are also correct as regards the other three objectors.
"Rami was called up to serve in the Nablus area on July 21st . He informed his commanding officer that for reasons of conscience he was not willing to take part in this reserve duty and because of his belief that service in the Occupied Territories constitutes a flagrantly illegal order. However, he stated that is willing to carry out any mission within the Green Line.
"His commanding officer put him on disciplinary trial for refusing an order. Kaplan asked for a full court martial in accordance with the Israeli military law. However the army attorney denied this request and upheld the commanding officer’s decision to imprison Rami for 28 days. The trial took place on July 22nd.
"Rami joined his name to Lt. David Sonschein’s appeal to the Chief Military Attorney [filed following the first decision of the Supreme Court on the latter's appeal]. The crux of this appeal is the demand that the disciplinary action is unsuitable in the case of Conscientious Refusal, as this is not merely a technical breach of an order, but rather is based on the contention that serving in the Occupation is carrying out a flagrantly illegal order. Hence, they demand to have a proper court hearing.
"On this basis, Rami asked for and received a week’s delay. Then with the submission of a request for the cancellation of the disciplinary judgment by the lawyers of Kaplan, Sonschein et al., the imprisonment was delayed until the decision of the Chief Military Attorney. On August 5th the appeal was rejected and Kaplan was imprisoned on August 6th. Kaplan’s attorneys now plan to appeal to the Supreme Court.
"Rami Kaplan has served as a combat officer as a conscript and a reservist. He has always believed that it is his civil duty to contribute to the defence of Israel. He has served with distinction throughout his career. However in 2001, after serving in the Occupied Territories several times he arrived at the conclusion that the Occupation is immoral and detrimental to the security of Israel.
He became one of the initiators of the Combatants’ Letter in January 2002. As a result of which he was dismissed from his position as Deputy Battalion commander and sentenced to prison. He has also become aware of the fact that the army intends to remove him from his unit as a result of this act of conscience."
All four objectors are currently held in Military Prison No. 6. Their prison addresses are:
Major Rami Kaplan
Officers' Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
[You can also write him e-mails at: mailto:[email protected]]
Shacham Romach
Reserves Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
Uri Fein
Reserves Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
[You can also write him e-mails at: mailto:[email protected]]
Maor Parsai
Reserves Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel
15. Ran Ron
Objector Ran Ron from Kibbutz Yif'at was sentenced on 31 July to 27 days in prison for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. Ron (36) is married with three children and works as a psychologist. Ran Ron will be in prison until August 23rd. His prison address is:
Ran Ron
Reserves Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF,
Israel.
16. Udi Elifantz
On July 30th, objector Udi Elifantz was sentenced to 28 days in prison for his refusal to perform reserves service in the Occupied Territories. Elifantz (31) is single and works as an electrical engineer in Tel Aviv. Udi Elifantz will be in jail until August 23rd.
He has also become aware of the fact that the army intends to remove him from his unit as a result of this act of conscience.
His prison address is:
Lieut. Udi Elifantz
Officers' Ward
Military Prison No. 6
Military postal code 01860, IDF
Israel.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
==================
First of all, please circulate this message and the information contained in it as widely as possible, not only through e-mail, but also on websites, conventional media, by word of mouth, etc.
Other recommendations for action:
1. Sending Letters of Support for Prisoners
Please send the prisoners your messages of support to the addresses above or to:
[Prisoner's name]
POB 16238
Tel-Aviv
Israel.
Messages of support could also be sent to all imprisoned objectors by e-mail, at mailto:[email protected].
When possible, please send your letters of support to both to this address and to the prison address. Letters sent to prison do not always reach their final destination, but they certainly apply pressure to the prison authorities, even if they are just piled up somewhere in the prison.
In addition to the letters of support, you can also send packages to prisoners (to counter the Israeli custom of sending gift packages to soldiers). You can use the POB above for that purpose. Note that there is no way to insert foodstuffs into the prison. Books, on the other hand, are the prisoner's best friends.
2. Letters to Authorities
It is recommended to send letters of protest on behalf of the objectors to:
Mr. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer,
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
37 Kaplan St.,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
E-mail: mailto:[email protected] or mailto:[email protected]
Fax: ++972-3-696-27-57 / ++972-3-691-69-40 / ++972-3-691-79-15
Copies can be sent to the commanders of the prisons at:
Commander of Military Prison No. 6,
Military Prison No. 6,
Military postal number 01860,
IDF
Israel.
Fax: ++972-4-869-28-84
Commander of Military Prison No. 4,
Military Prison No. 4,
Military postal number 02507,
IDF
Israel.
Fax: ++972-3-957-52-76
Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General:
Brig. Gen. Menachem Finklestein
Chief Military Attorney
Military postal code 9605
IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-569-43-70
In the cases of draft resisters and conscripts (Victor Sabransky, Dror Beuml, Yoni Ben-Artzi, Yoni Yechezkel and Uri Ya'acobi) it would be especially useful to send your appeals to the Commander of the Induction Base in Tel-Hashomer. It is this officer that ultimately decides whether an objector is to be exempted from military service or sent to another round in prison:
Deborah Chassid
Commander of Induction Base, Tel-Hashomer
Military Postal Code 02718, IDF
Israel.
Fax: ++972-3-737-60-52
Copies of appeals in the case of Itamar Shachar can also be sent to:
Head of Incompatibles Unit
Induction Base (Baqum)
Tel-Hashomer
Fax: ++972-3-737-67-05.
Addresses of additional military and government officials, as well as those of some Israeli media, to which you can send copies of your appeals, can be found at this web address: http://www.newprofile.org/english/Summery_CO_01.html (see the bottom of the page).
Please be aware that writing to the media at this time is more important than ever.
A standard sample letter is available at the bottom of the same web page (http://www.newprofile.org/english/Summery_CO_01.html#sample). However it would be advisable to adjust your letter to the particular circumstances of the case.
3. Demonstration in Support of Objectors
On Thursday, 22 Aug., 18:00, the signatories of the Letter of the Seniors will be holding a demonstration in support of imprisoned objectors and of the refusal to cooperate with the occupation. The demonstration will be held opposite the Ministry of Defence in Tel-Aviv. Transportation will be available if there is sufficient demand.
For further details please contact:
Eilat Maoz: mailto:[email protected]
Shani Werner: mailto:[email protected]
4. Miscellaneous
Yesh-Gvul issued a call for groups to "adopt" objectors. For further information on this initiative, please contact
mailto:[email protected].
Additional information on imprisoned objectors in general and on action that can be taken on their behalf (including a list of existing adoption groups for objectors) can be found on this website: http://refusersolidarity.org/default.asp?content=prisoners.
Of course, many other things can be done. Creative ideas for protest activities are very welcome indeed.
5. Special action on the case of Victor Sabransky
As we wrote above, objector Victor Sabransky was sent to prison for the fifth time in a row on 11 Aug. Full details on his imprisonment appear above (he's No. 8 in the list of prisoners).
Victor Sabransky was first imprisoned for 28 days on 26 April. After his release on 19 May, he was again sentenced on 23 May, and released on 17 June. A third prison term - from 23 June to 18 July - followed. He then was imprisoned for a fourth time - for 14 days between 28 July and 9 August - and is now serving his fifth prison term.
It appears that the reason for his repeated imprisonment is an arbitrary decision by a particular officer in the Induction Base in Tel-Hashomer, who simply decided not to refer Victor to an Incompatibility Committee (that has the authority to exempt from military service). Sadly, this officer has the authority to keep objectors going back to prison for as long as he likes.
It also seems likely that a pattern discriminating against immigrants from the former USSR (akin to the pattern of discrimination against Druse soldiers) was at work here. Consistently, immigrants and Druse soldiers always spend more time in military prison than the rest.
An important point to make in your appeals on Victor's behalf is that the repeated imprisonment of an objector violates the fundamental judicial principle "non bis in idem" - i. e. that one should not be tried more than once for the same offence.
On these grounds, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Commission on Human Rights declared in an opinion relating to the repeated imprisonment of a Turkish conscientious objector, that this is a case of arbitrary detention (OPINION No. 36/1999). The same applies to the repeated imprisonment of Victor Sabransky and other conscientious objectors in Israel.
It is especially important and effective to write to the Commander of the Military Induction Base in Tel-Hashomer, citing the decision of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. This official is directly in charge of the officer responsible for the repeated imprisonment of Victor and other objectors. Her address and fax number are:
Deborah Chassid
Commander of Induction Base, Tel-Hashomer
Military Postal Code 02718
IDF, Israel
Fax: +972-3-7376052
Sending copies of your appeals sent to other authorities (especially to the Minister of Defence and to the Military Attorney General; addresses and other means of contact are listed above) can be very useful. Those among you who live outside Israel may also contact your local Israeli embassy or consulate.
All the best and thanks,
Sergeiy Sandler and Amir Givol - New Profile.
PS: For those among you who got this message forwarded or read it on a website - you can receive updates and information about imprisoned objectors directly by subscribing to a mailing list especially dedicated to this subject. To subscribe, send a blank message to:
mailto:[email protected].