rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (06/26/91)
/** military.draft: 84.0 **/
** Topic: German Greens support resisters **
** Written 9:09 pm Jun 19, 1991 by cscheiner in cdp:military.draft **
From gn!gruen-bv.zer!j.maier Wed Jun 19 02:56:43 1991
Return-Path: <gn!gruen-bv.zer!j.maier>
Organization: Mailbox GRUEN-BV im Zerberus-Netz
Date: 17 Jun 91 14:29:00 MET
Subject: German Green Party resolution supports C.O.'s
HANDS OFF ERIC, KEVIN AND ALL GULF WAR OBJECTORS !
THE TRUE HEROS OF THE GULF WAR NEED OUR SOLIDARITY AND
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT !
This weekend official America is celebrating in Washington and
New York itself and the heros of the quick victory in the Gulf
by the biggest military parade since World War 2 - a
superpatriotic confetti show without losing a minute
commemorating the consequences, destruction, environmental
disasters and more than 150,000 casualties of the enemy. The
war objectors within the U.S. army are confronted with most
severe punishment, even the death penalty, and their political
supporters and friends in the U.S. and Europe (particularly here
in Germany) are confronted with a massive wave of
criminalization.
The uncompromising opposition to the war inside and outside the
armies is facing an attempt to be silenced. It is the same
merciless brutality that has bombed Iraq and Kuwait back to a
pre-industrial age, at the expense of particularly the civilian
population, and that has savagely attacked the defeated and
retreating Iraqi army that now tries to suppress the anti-war
movement when it becomes even more obvious how pointless this war
was, and when it becomes more obvious that military
interventionism and the preparation of new regional wars for
Bush's new world order are continuing.
* We are informed by relatives of soldiers that the punishment of
Gulf war objectors is continuing unabatedly in the United States.
* While soldiers with similar offenses such as the objectors get
only 30 to 60 days in jail and then are released, declared
conscientious objectors are facing up to two and a half years
imprisonment and dishonorable discharge.
* In many cases the procedures are prolonged almost endlessly,
hearings are fixed and postponed in the last minute, though this
is an unacceptable financial and mental burden for the families
that have to come from all over the United States.
* Particularly the Marine Corps demonstrates once again senseless
severity: while other parts of the armed forces mostly discharge
their objectors rather quickly the Marines have not yet finished
a single objection procedure. During this time the objectors
are subject to endless mental and partly physical mistreatment
and humiliations that have already caused a nervous collapse
with three men.
* Until now 12 names of sentenced U.S. war objectors have become
public, with sentences between 8 and 18 months.
* Trials against 9 further objectors have begun May 20, with
sentences of up to 8 years pending (!).
* In Germany hundreds of peace movement and Green Party activists
are persecuted with indictments for the soldier leaflet that had
addressed German soldiers and GI's stationed in Germany not to
serve superpower and oil interests in the Gulf and to refuse to
serve in the war.
* Members of the Green Party's federal executive committee in
Bonn were sentenced in the first instance to high fines, further
trials for the soldier leaflet are following this month.
SOLIDARITY NOW - HANDS OFF ERIC, KEVIN AND THE U.S. DESERTERS !
A few people are being punished and made an example for us all.
We have to prevent that.
Eric Larsen, ex-Marine and U.S. Gulf war objector is jailed since
late March in Camp Lejeune (N.Carolina) military prison. Many of
us know him for his passionate speech at the anti-war rally in
Bonn November 1990.
Eric has condemned in unequivocal terms a military intervention
since the Gulf crisis began. In the United States he is probably
the most popular and most articulate war objector.
According to his lawyers the military prosecutor in San Francisco
charges him with desertion in war, with an explicit reference to
article 65 of the U.S. military criminal code. Because of the
gravity of the offenses by Eric Larson this means that he faces
the maximum penalty: death.
Furthermore Kevin Sparrock faces the death penalty.
Eric Larsen has applied for conscientious objector status before
the war started, but this application was not accepted because it
was politically motivated.
The first hearing in a military court resulted in an unexpected
success - the judges criticized the uncorrect treatment of Eric's
application. Then a new hearing was fixed for June, however,
leaving the penalty completely open.
We have to fear that an example will be made of Eric. The threat
of death penalty still has not been removed.
The Green Party in Germany declare at their federal party
convention in Cologne their unrestricted solidarity with all U.S.
soldiers and all other armies participating in the Gulf war who
have tried to refuse to participate in this madness.
We particularly support Eric, Kevin and the other GI's who face
the threat of the death penalty or longtime imprisonment in
military jails.
We demand the immediate release of Eric, Kevin and all other
objectors !
We demand the immediate termination of all legal procedures
against activists of the peace movement and our party resulting
from the call upon soldiers not to participate in the Gulf war !
We intend to take the initiative to a joint international
campaign by the peace movement, the Greens and all other
progressive movements to free Eric, Kevin and the other jailed
U.S. soldiers !
(Resolution unanimously adopted by the federal party convention of
the German Green Party, Cologne, June 9, 1991).
** End of text from cdp:military.draft **