We, peace and human rights organizations, declare our support and solidarity with No to Compulsory Military Service Movement and with the Egyptian conscientious objector, Mark Nabil Sanad. We condemn the silence of Egypt’s authorities over conscientious objectors’ suffering. We call on the Egyptian authorities to restore his civil rights and to recognize his right to an exemption from the military service based on his conscientious beliefs.
Mark
Nabil had informed the officers at Assiut Conscription Area on the 13th of
May, 2014 of his Pacifist beliefs, and his refusal to the military service. He
was interrogated by a Military Security Officer that day, then was interrogated
again on the 15th of May, 2014, in the main headquarter of the Military
Intelligence in Cairo. Since that date, the Egyptian military refrained from
giving Mark Nabil any legal documentation stating that he had finished/was
exempted from the military service. Without any such document, Mark Nabil lives
deprived of his constitutional and legal rights— most important of which are
the right to work, to travel and the right to education.
Mark submitted a complaint to the Army Chief of Staff on the 27th of July, 2014. He also filed a complaint against the Minister of Defense to the Attorney General on the 21st of September, 2014. On 21st of January, 2014 he sent formal requests to the Minister of Defense, the Prime Minister and the President, demanding an exemption from the military service. However, the Ministry of Defense insists on ignoring all of these complaints and letters.
In 10
Jan 2015, Mark Nabil had issued a statement explaining that his refusal to
the military service is a rejection of the use of violence in conflict
resolution, as well as refraining from joining an institution that has a bad
history in using violence against peaceful protestors. He condemned the army’s
racist treatment of civilians based on sex, religion, social status or
geographical origin. He also considered his refusal to the military service not
only his right, but also a responsibility towards future generations who do not
deserve to inherit the systematic slavery of conscription.
Since
different national and international legislations guarantee freedom of belief,
thought and conscience including: Article 18 in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights which affirms that "Everyone has the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion", Article 18 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits any kind of
coercion that breaches the freedom of religion or belief, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report in July 2013 regarding the Right of
Conscientious Objection to the military service. The Egyptian Constitution, in
Article 64, also affirmed the freedom of belief. The Egyptian National and
Military Service Law have established an alternative civic service in addition
to the military one, and mandated the Minister of Defense to determine the due
groups to be exempted from the military service.
Therefore, we call on Egypt’s government to respect international standards and meet the obligations to which it has committed itself. This includes recognizing the right of Mark Nabil Sanad to conscientious objection to military service.
9
April 2015
Agir pour la Paix,
Belgium http://agirpourlapaix.be
Alternativa
Antimilitarista - MOC de Canarias, Spain http://canariasporlapaz.blogspot.com/
Asamblea
Antimilitarista de Madrid, Spain www.antimilitaristas.org
Association of Greek
Conscientious Objectors, Greece www.antirrisies.gr
Bund für Soziale
Verteidigung (BSV), Germany www.soziale-verteidigung.de
Connection e.V.,
Germany www.connection-ev.de
Conscience: Taxes for
Peace not War, United Kingdom www.conscienceonline.org.uk
Conscientious
Objection Association, Turkey www.savaskarsitlari.org
European Bureau for
Conscientious Objection (EBCO), Belgium www.ebco-beoc.org
Evangelische Kirche
von Kurhessen-Waldeck, Germany www.ekkw.de
Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF), USA http://fpif.org/
German Peace Society (DFG-VK), Germany www.dfg-vk.de
German Peace Society (DFG-VK), Germany www.dfg-vk.de
Grupo Antimilitarista
de Carabanchel, Spain http://www.nodo50.org/moc-carabanchel/
Initiative of Conscientious Objection, Cyprus
International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), International www.ifor.org
Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie e.V., Germany www.grundrechtekomitee.de
Laboratorio de Paz, Venezeula http://laboratoriosdepaz.org/
Peacebuilding Connections, USA www.peacebuildingconnections.org
Periódico El Libertario, Venezeula http://periodicoellibertario.blogspot.com/
Periódico El Libertario, Venezeula http://periodicoellibertario.blogspot.com/
Programa Venezolano de
Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos, Venezeula
www.derechos.org.ve
Revolussia Asociación
para el Estudio de la Noviolencia, Spain
The Fellowship of
Reconciliation, Austria www.versoehnungsbund.at
Union of Conscientious
Objectors (AKL), Finland http://akl-web.fi/en/
Union Pacifiste De
France, France www.unionpacifiste.org
War Resisters’
International www.wri-irg.org
Women Peacemakers
Program (WPP), The Netherlands www.womenpeacemakersprogram.org
World Without War,
South Korea www.withoutwar.org
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