Conscientious Objector Shir Regev in Prison and Updates on Other Objectors

- Please distribute widely -

CO Shir RegevShir Regev, a conscientious objectors and anti-Occupation activist, was sentenced to 10 days in military prison. This is his second prison term in a row. Also, three previously imprisoned objectors have been exempted from military service and two others await imprisonment later on.

CO Shir Regev, 20, from the village of Tuval in the North of Israel, an anarchist and anti-Occupation activist, has began serving his second prison term (10 days) on 24 Mar. Shir chose not to show up at the Induction Base on his intended enlistment date, and was later arrested and sentenced to 20 days in prison on 2 March (at that point he did not yet authorise publicising his case, which is why we are only reporting about it now). He is presently held in Military Prison no. 6 near Athlit.

In a statement he has made before going to prison, Shir says:

I believe it is my personal duty to refuse and defect from an army whose main purpose is to serve as an occupation police for maintaining “Israeli order” and imposing it on defenseless Palestinians who are denied citizenship.

And what is this “Israeli order” ? It is an ongoing process, in effect over 42 years, comprising a military regime over the Palestinians, denying them access to the Palestinian community resources of land, water, agricultural crops and ores. It also entails pollution of their land and their streams, along with support for disenfranchisement by settlers who live in the same areas, under a separate system of seemingly democratic laws. And I have not even mentioned the violation of more basic Palestinian human rights, like denying their freedom of movement, and causing bodily harm, including mass killing, without due investigation of alleged criminal offenses of the gravest kind recognized in Israeli law. Carried out in a territory under military occupation, these acts also constitute war crimes and other violations under international law.

Since I have the medical profile of a “combat soldier”, had I joined the army, there is no doubt I would have been sent to serve this ‘Mafiosi’ system, which has almost nothing to do with the IDF’s designated role as “Defense Forces”… This is an army that serves interests in which I do not believe. Therefore, in the dilemma between doing such service and obeying my conscience, I have no doubt about my decision. The day will come when my decision is appreciated by people who presently deny the horrible reality which we as a society are creating for another people and the damage we are inflicting on the souls of many young Israelis who may not be aware of the moral degradation in which they take part.

Shir Regev is due to be released from prison on 1 April. His address in prison is:

Since the prison authorities often block mail from reaching imprisoned objectors, we also recommend you to send them your letters of support and encouragement via e-mail to our friends in Yesh Gvul: yeshgvul2001@yahoo.com, and they will be printed out and delivered during visits.

The Recommended Action section below will be focusing on Shir Regev’s case, as he is the only declared conscientious objector we know is in prison at the moment. However, some other updates are due. First of all, we can report that COs Or Ben-David and Efi Brenner have both been finally exempted from military service on health grounds and are not expected to be imprisoned again. Thanks a lot to all those who acted on their behalf. Another recently exempted objector is R.K., who has been imprisoned several times over the recent months, but asked explicitly not to publicise his case in any way at the time.

CO Emelia Marcovici, a signatory of the 2009-2010 high school seniors letter, has reported at the military Induction Base back on 1 Feb. and was sentenced to 10 days of confinement to base. Subsequently she decided to delay her return and face imprisonment later on. Walaa Naffaa is also delaying his return to prison. Both are likely to spend time behind bars in the future. We will, of course, update on any further developments.

Finally, Y.G., a pacifist conscientious objector, has served a 14-day prison term back in January, followed by a term of confinement to base. We learned about her case after the fact through Or Ben-David, who met her in the Induction Base. While she has not been finally exempted from military service yet, she is not likely to be imprisoned again at this point.

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, social networks, conventional media, by word of mouth, etc.

Other recommendations for action:

1. Sending Letters of Support

Please send the imprisoned objectors letters of support (preferably postcards or by fax) to the prison addresses above.

2. Letters to Authorities

It is recommended to send letters of protest on the objectors’ behalf, preferably by fax, to:

Copies of your letters can also be sent to the commander of the military prison at:

Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General (note updated fax number):

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, and it is the same officer who is ultimately in charge of the military Conscience Committee:

For those of you who live outside Israel, it would be very effective to send protests to your local Israeli embassy. You can find the address of your local embassy on the web.

Here is a generic sample letter, which you can use in sending appeals to authorities on the prisoners’ behalf. Feel free to modify this letter or write your own:

3. Letters to media in Israel and in other countries

Writing op-ed pieces and letters to editors of media in Israel and other countries could also be quite useful in indirectly but powerfully pressuring the military authorities to let go of the objectors and in bringing their plight and their cause to public attention.

Here are some contact details for the main media outlets in Israel:

    Ma’ariv:
    2 Karlibach st.
    Tel-Aviv 67132
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-561-06-14
    e-mail: editor@maariv.co.il
    Yedioth Aharonoth:
    2 Moses st.
    Tel-Aviv
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-608-25-46
    Ha’aretz (Hebrew):
    21 Schocken st.
    Tel-Aviv, 61001
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-681-00-12
    Ha’aretz (English edition):
    21 Schocken st.
    Tel-Aviv, 61001
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-512-11-56
    e-mail: letters@haaretz.co.il
    Radio (fax numbers):
    Kol-Israel +972-2-531-33-15
    and +972-3-694-47-09
    Galei Zahal +972-3-512-67-20
    Television (fax numbers):
    Channel 1 +972-2-530-15-36
    Channel 2 +972-2-533-98-09
    Channel 10 +972-3-733-16-66

We will continue updating on further developments.

Thank you for your attention and action

March 26, 2010 | Filed Under In Prison Now  | |

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