Conscientious objectors appear in court
Derek Brett reports
Two conscientious objectors have appeared before military courts in the last week.
In Portsmouth, Michael Lyons faced a navy court martial on charges of ‘wilful disobedience’. Michael Lyons, who held the rank of leading medical assistant and was detailed for a posting to Afghanistan, was ordered to report for firearms training while his application for release on grounds of conscientious objection was awaiting consideration. His request to be excused was rejected.
In Britain’s all-volunteer armed forces, the formal procedures for conscientious objection are rarely invoked. In December, Michael Lyons’ application was the first since 1996 to come before the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objection (see ‘Armed Forces Bill and human rights’, the Friend, 14 January). He is still waiting to be notified of the defence secretary’s final decision.
The judge advocate appointed to decide the disobedience case had prosecuted at the most recent court martial in which the defendant cited conscientious objection. That case was in 2003 when Mohsin Khan, a Muslim RAF reservist, didn’t respond to call-up for the invasion of Iraq. Last Friday, Michael Lyons’ counsel argued that the judge should therefore stand down, so that justice would ‘not only be done but would be seen to be done’. The case will proceed once this point is decided.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s first recorded conscientious objector was Maikel Nabil, who refused military service last October. During and since the February ‘revolution’ his pacifist website has put the role of the Egyptian military in perspective by carefully documenting their continuing arrest and torture of activists.
On the night of 28 March he was seized by military police and, although a civilian, was sent for a ‘fast-track’ trial before a military tribunal, charged with ‘insulting the military by spreading false information’ and ‘disturbing public security’. War Resisters International have called for his immediate release.
Comments
I am always uncomfortable with UK soldiers conscientiously objecting to service. We have a volunteer armed service, if you object to killing people for a profession, don’t volunteer. I do admit though that, as with any job, there needs to be procedures for somebody to realise they are in the wrong job and move on to something else.
By jgharston on 7th April 2011 - 12:09
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