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so what experience do you all have with conscientious objection? i'll tell my story soon.
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Washington, D.C.
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Re: experience
Mon, December 15, 2003 - 10:55 PMDuring the first Gulf War, I did legal support with Hands Off! for a CO and testified at his hearing. He was one of the few people to be granted CO status instead of being put on trial.
I was on the board of CCCO from 92 to 99. -
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Re: experience
Sat, May 1, 2004 - 7:05 AMmy interest in conscientious objectionism began with a paper I wrote freshman year on a t.s.eliot poem, "I Sing of Olaf Glad and Big," a story about a conscientious objector, made to fight, drafted against his will. -
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Re: experience
Sat, May 1, 2004 - 7:06 AMalso, I have been on an academic track for about 7 years now,
with a 2 year hiatus working in documentary filmmaking.
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Re: experience
Sat, May 1, 2004 - 9:07 PMMy experience includes two years of hiding from military police in Serbia.
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Re: experience
Mon, May 3, 2004 - 5:40 PMhey dragisa, that's got to be an interesting story! Does Serbia have any kind of conscientious objection laws, or do you pretty much just have to run? I know many countries don't consider it a possibility (Israel has had jailed several men recently).
I'm assuming you've left Serbia - where are you at now? -
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Re: experience
Mon, May 3, 2004 - 6:07 PMI think it's changed since 2000. They still have mandatory military service, but now you can opt to do some civilian service without taking arms.
It was more tricky during the wars in 90-ies. Depending where you happened to be, you could have ended up being executed for refusing to join (para)military. Or, like me, you could be lucky to live in Belgrade which was relatively safe.
Serbian military had very difficult time recruiting people to fight for Milosevic. Military statistics say that turnout was around 25% during that period. In other words, you had hundreds of thousants of people who avoided military service. Very few people were arested or prosecuted.
The most difficult period was in 1999 when US attacked us. I had to move around to avoid military police and you couldn't exit the country. Also, it was the only time I had moral dilema about avoiding military service.
I am in San Francisco now. I am not a refugee or anything like that. Came here normaly.
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