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August 30, 2019: Theme: Military CO's and Resisters

This issue of NNOMYnews investigates conscientious objectors and resisters to military service, unfortunately a topic that is receiving less and scant reporting. This may be a reflection of the general invisibility of all conflict reporting let alone objectors. We needed to go international to find timely reports and to look backwards in time for the U.S.A.

International objectors: Spotlight on the Dundee men who refused to fight in the First World War

Think of the impact of the First World War on Dundee and perhaps what comes to mind are the tragic losses afflicted on the 4th battalion Black Watch at the Battle of Loos in 1915 or the incredible support the city’s populace gave to the money-raising tank banks as the war entered its final year in 1918.

But what of the men who declared themselves as conscientious objectors (COs) and paid a high price after refusing to fight on the grounds of morality or religion?

Read more

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/uk-world/653249/international-objectors-spotlight-on-the-dundee-men-who-refused-to-fight-in-the-first-world-war/

Interview - Dahr Jamail - Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan

pammyoneto - 7 years ago -  It shows how human soldiers are and how inhumane our so called elected Governments are and makes one question who these Governments work for, it definetly isn`t the people who voted for them. They are using the military for corporate gain. It is disgusting. My guess is they`ll build private Corporate Armies which will be financed and employed by Companies and they`ll be used against all people including those of us who are anti war. That`s what I`m thinking. 

Watch now

https://youtu.be/OX3hogynWIo

When refusing to kill has a higher sentence than murder

Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.). September 20, 2008 / Courage to Resist - Just one month ago, US Army Private Robin Long was sentenced to fifteen months in prison, reduced to private and given a dishonorable discharge for having been absent without leave from the Army rather than serving in a war he believed was unlawful. He had been deported from Canada where he had been speaking on his concerns about the legality of the war for three years and was handed over by Canadian immigration officials to the US military for prosecution.

One month earlier, US Army Private First Class James Burmeister voluntarily returned from Canada and was sentenced in July 2008 to six months in prison for refusing to return to Iraq after two previous tours in which he was hit by three IEDs. In May 2008, Private First Class Robert Weiss was court-martialed in Vilseck, Germany, and sentenced to 7 months in jail for refusing to go to Iraq. Also in May 2008, Private First Class Ryan Jackson was also court-martialed and sentenced to 100 days in jail for refusing to go to Iraq.

Read more

https://couragetoresist.org/when-refusing-to-kill-has-a-higher-sentence-than-murder/

US army deserters flee Iraq 

RT.com - At present, more than 5,000 troops are missing from duty, the Pentagon says.

One of them is Andre Shepherd, who found a new home in Germany. In 2007, before his second deployment in Iraq, Andre fled the army, calling the war illegal.

Read more

https://www.rt.com/usa/us-army-deserters-flee-iraq/

"I refuse to fight for Queen & Country!", Ben Griffin, former SAS-trooper (Special-forces)

Watch now

https://youtu.be/miEtCmtFgZU

IAM a conscientious objector

IceApinan’s CO Declaration: Military institutions deeply rooted in Thai society for a long time. We have many coup governments over a government that comes from the people. Since the Siamese revolution of 1932, we have had 13 successful coups, and more than 20 wasted constitutions like a toilet paper. Every constitution that the military uses will write that the country is governed by democracy. However, in practice, it is not so. For me, it is just an ingenious military dictator facing the word “Democracy.” I am one of the new generation, so I want to get up, but not to get up and take a revolution like in the past. It is a peaceful way of using nonviolent methods and encouraging young people to think or fearlessly standing up for what they believe in. I believe that this approach will lead this country to sustainable democracy.

Read more

https://medium.com/iceapinan/iceapinans-co-declaration-iam-a-conscientious-objector-636b6438d825

S Korea wants to know if conscientious objectors play violent video games

AKE KWON AND JAMES GRIFFITHS, CNN - That appears to be the message South Korea is sending conscientious objectors. Prosecutors said they were investigating whether a number of men seeking exemption from military service played "online shooting games" in the past.

"We need to verify their genuine faith. So we need to examine their personal life," an official with the prosecutors office on the southern island of Jeju told CNN. "We check whether they had been attending (religious) service. Checking their history with shooting games is another method."

Read more

https://www.local10.com/news/international/s-korea-wants-to-know-if-conscientious-objectors-play-violent-video-games

International Youth Day - Betty Reardon

There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world. This is the largest youth population ever. However, more than half of all children and adolescents aged 6-14 lack basic reading and maths skills, despite the fact that the majority of them are attending school. This global learning crisis threatens to severely hamper progress towards the SDGs.

12 August was first designated International Youth Day by the UN General Assembly in 1999, and serves as an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, and an opportunity to raise awareness of challenges and problems facing the world’s youth.

2019 Theme: “Transforming education”

Watch now

https://youtu.be/3JwIW3QBdJU

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