» Sign Petition in Support of the Occupation Refusers and to Demand their Immediate Release. Read here

Refuseniks Alex Cohn and

 Shaul Mograbi-Berger 

What Can You Do?

Sign the Petition

Save UH/Stop UARC petition

» Mehmet Tarhan: 4 years in jail
Suna Coskun, attorney of Mehmet Tarhan, expressed that this is the toughest imprisonment decision taken in Turkey towards CO's and explained that they will appeal to The Supreme Court of military appeals for cassation.

» Russian conscripts bullied to death
About 350,000 men aged 18 to 27 are annually called up for two years' service, but, according to the defence ministry, 90.5% avoid or delay the draft. In wealthy Moscow the figure rises to 97%. Only the poor serve.

»  Protest outside President Bush's ranch
Military families are coming to Crawford, Texas to share their stories with Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq and call for a meeting with President Bush.

 
Exit strategy for Iraq

Maritza Castillo (Camilo Mejia's mother), left, comforts
Monica Benderman (Kevin's wife) at the trial

» KEVIN BENDERMAN: 15 months in jail
Benderman was acquitted of desertion but convicted of the lesser charge of missing movement, meaning he skipped his Jan. 8 deployment flight. Camilo Mejia - previously jailed for refusing to go to Irak - comments on this case. Give your support.

» ISRAEL: a refuseniks movement that won't stop
see updates on the latest struggles of Israeli refusers.

Mehmet Tarhan on trial again 4 August: 
    » Reports on International protests (English & German) on 12 July.   
    » Two MEPS intervene to support Mehmet.
    » New information in Tagalog, Turkish, Italian

Mehmet Tarhan

 
Picket of Turkish Embassies:
London  43 Belgrave Square, London SW1 (nearest tube Hyde Park Corner)
New York: The General Consulate
821 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017
Venice: The Turkish Consulate

» War resisters support campaign update
Latest news of refuseniks organising in Canada

28 June: 1st anniversary of the killing of British soldier Gordon Gentle, 
19, recruited at a Job Centre and sent to Iraq. Ever since, his mother Rose Gentle has tirelessly campaigned to bring the troops home. She is the founder of Military Families Against the War. 

Conscientious Objector Mehmet Tarhan stopped his hunger strike today. Details to follow.

» Another U.S. resister flees to Canada  
We found Jeremy Hinzman's site before I went AWOL.  We found the G.I. Rights hotline. Then we found stuff on Camilo Mejia, Aidan Delgado, and it inspired me that people were doing this.

ANTI-RECRUITING IN THE US
» When Marine recruiters go way beyond the call. They had him out all night, drilling him to join
» Army recruiting shortfall
Of the 750 males in his graduating class at Princeton University in 1956, more than 400 went on to serve in the military. Of the 1,100 males and females in last year's Princeton class, eight joined.
» Military recruiters confess: 
"Parents are the biggest hurdle we face."

» Mehmet freed and jailed again
International pressure led a judge to free gay Turkish refusenik Mehmet Tarhan, but the army sent him back to military prison. The struggle continues.
Stephen Funk, first US gay Marine to refuse to go to Irak writes in his support.

» Refusing to kill with drugs
My experience is a telling tale that refusing to kill is not only a call to people directly involved in the genocidal military war machine.

» Military studies in the curriculum
In the Phillipines, high school students receive military training as part of their school education.
 

Free Mehmet Tahran!    

Refusing the military at Hawaii University

» No to militarization at university 
Students at the University of Hawaii organised an occupation to oppose research projects and win!
» Anti-recruiting
Recruiters' sexual abuses exposed.
» An interview with Mehmet  
Conscientious objector Mehmet Tahran speaks from detention. Messages of protest are urgently needed as Mehmet as been mistreated. 

» Mehmet's trial adjourned to 9 June
As conscientious objector, Mehmet Tarhan is mistreated in detention, messages of protest are urgently needed. 
» Abdullah Webster speaks
Refusenik released on 30 April, Abdullah tells his experience of 11 months detention.

 
Sue and Abdullah Webster and daughter

Victory for refusenik Pablo Paredes

»  Paredes wins right to protest
A Navy judge gave refusenik Pablo Paredes no jail time for refusing orders to board his military ship bound for the Persian Gulf on December 6th.
No to military recruiting - OPT-OUT!
»  Opt-out meeting in Philadelphia on Monday 23 May
»  Orlando Terrazas has launched a campaign to get equal exposure for nonmilitary options for high school students
»  In Eugene, 70 people organise direct action to close down recruitment offices.

» Mumia Abu-Jamal on the "poverty draft": "They fight abroad because they are exhausted from the never-ending fight at home, for a decent, affordable education, for decent housing, for a job with some degree of longevity."
» 10 May: 2005 National Day of Action for GI Resisters -- read Payday's letter of support

Mumia Abu_Jamal

» Mehmet's trial adjourned to 26 May.  See Payday's letter.
» Los Angeles school is site of dramatic confrontation  General Franks, attempting to leave the school in an SUV with tinted windows, was totally blocked by protesters. 
» 10 May: 2005 National Day of Action for GI Resisters

Support Mehmet Tarhan, a gay conscientious objector who goes on trial Wednesday 28 April because he refuses to do his military service.

The Turkish authorities are trying to use the fact that he is gay (an illness according to Turkish law) to discharge him. But Mehmet refuses this option, saying that this 'right' based on his homosexuality is an expression of the rotteness of the militarist system itself".  Demand his immediate release.  

» Latino refusenik charged
The Navy planned to court-martial Pablo Eduardo Paredes, a sailor vocal against the war.
» UK Gulf War vets suing MoD
Thirty Iraq War veterans are taking legal action against the British Army, because they were thrown out of the ranks after ruining their mental and physical health.
» Blake Lemoine moved to the US
This US soldier who was on hunger strike against the Iraq war has been moved to a jail in Oklahoma. More later.
» UK elections: 
Support anti-war candidates Rose Gentle, Reg Keys and Brian Haw

» Counter-recruitment: 
NYU Students block CIA recruiters
Santa Cruz students kicked Army, Navy and Marine Corps recruiters.

» UK refuseniks
Big rise in deserters 'fuelled by Iraq war'.

» Benderman: court-martial trial to begin on 11 May

Kevin and Monica Benderman (Photo Credit: Lewis M. Levine, distributed by www.bendermandefense.org)

Blake Lemoine and wife Alayna 

» Blake Lemoine on hunger strike 
"No one is forced to join the American military, but the enlistment contract is a slave contract."
» 250 new refuseniks in Israel
A new declaration of refusal by students has already collected 250 signatures of youngsters facing compulsory military service.
» UN troops rape in Congo
United Nation's peacekeeping troops involved in rapes.

» Hinzman appeals the decision
US refusenik Jeremy Hinzman, whose claim for asylum has been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board, is appealing to the Federal Court of Canada. 

» US refuseniks - recent struggles
A group of former soldiers who succeeded in achieving conscientious-objector status has created a Web site, www.peace-out.com, showing people how to apply. There were 3,000 hits the first day.

» Anti recruiting actions
Demonstrations in New York City were parts of hundreds of protests at recruiting centers across the nation - 750 actions took place in all 50 states.

Procession to the Times Square recruiting station (New York 19 March 2005.

Emergency Vigil, Thursday March 24th, 5pm Southeast corner of Dundas & University  (St. Patrick Subway), Toronto

The Immigration and Refugee Board has announced that a decision in Jeremy Hinzman's refugee case will be released in the afternoon of March 24th.  

Jeremy is the first of five US deserters to go before the Immigration and Refugee Board to support his application for asylum in Canada. Whether the decision is positive or negative, supporters of US war resisters will gather at the immigration offices at Dundas & University to continue to press for the demand that the Canadian government make provision for US war resisters to stay in Canada

For more information call 416.598.1222 or email resisters@sympatico.ca

» A successful event for the Global Women's Strike
On 12 March, in London, Refuseniks and military families spoke out. See press release reporting the event.

» Support Sue and Abdullah Webster 
Write to the US military authorities.

» Sgt Benderman needs financial support
Please donate to defend this vocal refuser!

Selma James (Global Women's Strike ), Sue Webster, Michael Kalmanovitz (Payday)

Sue and Abdullah Webster and daughter

Refusing to Kill video
   » Showing in London 18 March  
   » Order VHS or DVD or organise a showing in your area. Contact payday@paydaynet.org

Abdullah Webster
   » Urgent action needed

Kenya: Global Women's Strike's action against rape by British soldiers 

VANUNU: About to be released, he has just been charged by the Israeli governement of violating his restriction conditions. Contact the Campaign to Free Vanunu in London: 0208 808 7568

Give support:
Kevin Benderman Defense Committee
P.O. Box 2322, Hinesville, GA 31310
Kevin and Monica Benderman mdawnb@coastalnow.net
Tel: 912-369-4585
www.BendermanDefense.org

»  Camilo Mejia was released from jail on 15 February.    

»  Abdullah Webster jailed for refusing to serve in Iraq. 

Refusing to kill events for the 6th Global Women's Strike
»  5 March in Philadelphia
» 12 March in London 

 » Asylum in Ireland
What if the funnel to Iraq, called Shannon Airport, were to be transformed into a sanctuary for US Troops resisting the Iraq War by requesting asylum in Ireland?

 » Asylum in Canada
Support Jeremy Hinzman. Contact the Canadian embassy in your country.

Sgt Benderman and his wife speak out
 » We have lost our way in Iraq
 » A matter of conscience
 » Catching flack

Monica Benderman and her husband
 Sgt Kevin Benderman, now charged

»  Refusing to kill meeting in London Saturday 12 March 2-5 pm

»  Montclair parents say no to military
Cherry's mother was furious when she found out the district was releasing her child's information without her express consent.    
»  Rancor in the US ranks
It's the mothers who are warning their kids about going to war

SGT BENDERMAN AND FELLOW SOLDIERS REFUSE DEPLOYMENT

»   Letter to George Bush
"I did receive orders from the commander to shoot children if they threw small rocks at us and that was when I figured out that the entire thing was way over the line."

»   Why I refused a 2nd deployment to Iraq 
These are the chronological events that led me to conclude that I had no other choice than to refuse the deployment order to Iraq.

»   Letters from Monica Benderman
"No soldier is in Iraq by his own doing."
"I just got back from the hospital visiting 2 soldiers"

JEREMY HINZMAN: Act now!
In Canada, contact your MP. Elsewhere contact the Canadian embassies to support the right to asylum of this US refusenik. Read hearing reports.

 
High school students protest in Tel Aviv.

» Laura Milo first woman Israeli refuser exempted from the military! 

» Protesting school militarisation
Three students chained themselves to the entrance of their school in Tel Aviv to protest against the visit of an Air Force brigadier general invited to "motivate" students to enlist.