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| 17/10/2001 | Izvestiya | |
INTERROGATION OF THE PACIFIST |
CIVIL RIGHTS |  | |
| The mechanism of alternative service began to work Yesterday, the draft commission of Nizhni Novgorod made a precedent decision: 9 recruits who stated their pacifist conictions, were given the right to alternative service, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Till now, the recruits could defend this right exceptionally in court. However, in connection with the absence of the corresponding federal law, for the present the alternative civilian service is implemented only in Nizhni Novgorod by the order of the mayor. The military already stated that the validity of this order was doubtful. Konstantin GETMANSKY The draft commission of Nizhni Novgorod examined yesterday 14 applications of young people who wished to realize their constitutional right to perform the alternative civilian service instead of the military service, "Izvestiya" was informed by Nina Tagankina, the member of the commission, the chairman of the council of the Nizhniy Novgorod human rights society. She said that the military asked the recruits provocative questions to prove the trustworthiness of their convictions. The check passed successfully enough: 9 persons will enjoy their legitimate right. - Naturally, I didn't told them that I had read Tolstoy and Gandi and that I shared their ideas, - 24-years Vsevolod Kurepin said to "Izvestiya". | Next two years he will help the patients as the hospital attendant in the city hospital N 1 of Nizhni Novgorod. - But for one year I've been working in the children's home and with a peacemaking group which asserts the rights of recruits. Therefore it was easy enough to prove the trustworthiness of my pacifist convictions. Though I didn't notice goodwill on the part of the military during the consideration of my case: the atmosphere of the session was oppressive. Military commissars distinctly negatively reacted to the initiative of the head of the administration of Nizhni Novgorod Yury Lebedev who began the experiment to create the mechanism of performing the alternative civilian service. - The text of the order of the mayor is already sent to the Regional Office of Public Prosecutor to examine its validity, - the senior assistant to the chief of the draft department of the regional militar commissariat, lieutenant colonel Oleg Todosenko informed "Izvestiya". - We are not against the alternative service, but we believe that firstly it is necessary to adopt the federal law, and this arbitrariness at the local level is pure populism. The head of the city thinks that there couldn't be another reaction. - The | people who depend on their chiefs, who take bribes of 5 thousand dollars to release the guys from the army, can't speak in another way, - Yury Lebedev stated to "Izvestia". - But the draft into the army is executed not by the military, but by the draft commissions which work within the framework of the Constitution. According to the city head, his order will promote demilitarization of the society and creation of professional army in our country. - Besides that, it will reduce the number of evadors which only in our city during the spring draft, was 1335; and only 1405 persons were actually called up for military service, - Lebedev emphasized. Up to 50 young men whose convictions don't allow them to take the weapons in hands, will be called up to the municipal team created in Nizhni Novgorod this year. It is planned that in the future, the "alternative servicemen" will work also at schools and house-manager's offices. Besides that, Yury Lebedev is going to address to the federal authorities the proposition to legalize the Nizhniy Novgorod experiment by the decree of the president or by the decision of the government, and in the future, to implement it in other regions of Russia too. |
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