update on imprisoned objectors 13.11.02

["David Raban" <draban at pob.huji.ac.il>]

Dear friends,

 As far as I know there are currently 12v objectors in military prisons:

But first some good news:

Iga'al Bronner was transferred this week to military prison no. 6 , after
he was first jailed in a detention camp. Where he received severe treatment.

Today's update will include information about released objectors, objectors
that have been newly imprisoned, and also information about objectors that
have been re-imprisoned. As usual , in the end of the update you will find
information ion where to send letters of protest, and let us not forget the
objectors themselves who will be very happy to get letters of support.

Releasd :

-Niv Goldkin & Yuval Endorn, both reservists, were released this week.
There is no danger for further imprisonment in the next few months.

-Salman Salaame, a Druze conscientious objector, was tried this week to two
and  a half months in prison, which he had already spent in jail awaiting
his trial , so he was released. however, he was told to report again, and
his requests to see a consciense committee or a psychologist were refused,
so he will probably be jailed again.

Newly imprisoned:

-Ofer Sela, OT objector, 34 years old, married and a father to 3 children
was sentenced to 18 days in prison no. 6. his term will end on 26.11.

-V.N. OT objector, sentenced to 28 days in prison no. 6. his term will end
on December 12th.

-Yoni Ben-Artzi was sentenced on Sunday to an additional term of 28 days.

So the total number of days in prison for him (including the current one)
is 126 days. This is longer than usual. This term is the fifth one in  a
row.

Here is a brief summery of Yoni's case:

Yoni, a student of physics & mathematics in the Hebrew university, is a
pacifist, and refuses to serve in the army for reasons of non-violence.

He has applied to the "conscience committee" , in order to be exempt from
the service, but his request was denied. He then applied to the supreme
court of justice, which sent him , for the third time to the committee.
Again, his objections were denied, and he applied again to the court. This
time the judges decided they do not want to interfere with  the army's
decision.

However , his appeal to the court was not without some benefits: as a
result it is now allowed to bring a lawyer to the committee and it's
procedures are regulated by law (until then it was not so). it is worth
while to mention that until the present day none the draft resistors who
applied were exempt.

Letters of support for Yoni can be sent to <>mbartzi at yahoo.com.

-Uri Ya'akobi, draft resistor, was sentenced on Sunday to 28 days in prison
no.4. until now he spent 77 days in jail.

Other objectors currently in jail:

-Avi Ende, pacifist, 26 years old. Weas sentenced to 28 days, he is due to
be released this Friday.

-Haggai Mattar, draft resistor, sentences to 28 days

-Dror Boymel, draft resistor . he is at the moment on prison no.4.

Dror is vegen, i.e. he does not consume food that comes from animals (such
as meat, cheese, eggs..) because of his belief in non-violence and his
objection the mistreatment of animals. Prison no 4. , where he is currently
held, is not suitable for his dietary needs. During his first 28 days he
has lost over 5 kg. In weight, and he weights less than 50 kg (110 lb.). he
is 175cm tall (5.7 feet) and his family is worried about his health.

In prison no. 6, however, it is possible for his family to supply him with
adequate food. Unfortunately, the prison authorities have denied requests
by his family to be transferred there.

Please write to prison authorities , and demand that he will be
transferred, as to avoid a risk to his health.



-Yoni Yehezkel, draft resistor, in prison no.4

-Iga'al Onik, OT objector, in prison no.6.

-Idna Eizner, OT objector, in prison no.6.

-Dr. Iga'al bronner, a professor pf Asian studies in Tel Aviv univesitly
and a OT objector, in prison no.6.

What can we do?

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:dash at seruv.org.il>mailto:dash at seruv.org.il.



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. Shaul Mofaz,
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
37 Kaplan St.,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
E-mail: <mailto:sar at mod.gov.il>mailto:sar at mod.gov.il or
<mailto:pniot at mod.gov.il>mailto:pniot at mod.gov.il
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. 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 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





You can also protest to the local Israeli embassy, you can find the
addresses on the
web<http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfh/Eng/Ntz/Ntz_Israel.asp?seek=1&let=85>:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfh/Eng/Ntz/Ntz_Israel.asp?seek=1&let=85

Copies of appeals in 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>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>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.

Thank you,

David Raban,

New Profile.