Urgent action

Solidarity with a case of conscientious total objection
in Fed.Rep. of Germany

Dear comrades

The 3rd september 2001 our comrade Ringo Ehlert who lives in the annexed  German Democratic Republic should have to come to the barracks in order to begin his military service together with hundreds of other young recruits.

He has not appeared there and he has also decided not to do alternative civil service.

He has published a personal declaration about his conscientious total objection.  His motives for this decision are the same that many young people have who were born in the German Democratic Republic: Consequent antifascist attitude and standing up for peace and people's friendship and  for socialist fundamental values. All this makes it impossible for him to do his military service in an army of occupation. He has taken his decision in the effort „never to do a military service in an army which is once again the enemy of other countries and people". In his declaration (see below) you can also find, that he would go to the military service of GDR's National People's Army (NVA) „in order to defend values, which were not possible to implement after the annexation of GDR, namely the standing up for peace and people's friendship“.

In his personal declaration he writes further: „It s about time to throw a final stroke, even if my small action surely has only a symbolic value. It's not the point - not only the point - to object the German Army Bundeswehr - no, at the end it's time to call out even under the threat of strong punishment: I refuse the Federal Republic of Germany! (...) It's time to make a stand for a political opinion of the people here, in the annexed part of Germany, which are messed around since 11 years,  to show their discontent and questionning of the existing political system of the FRG in a clear political attitude."

This attitude of our comrade Ringo Ehlert is an attitude of all of us in FDJ (Free German Youth).

The Federal Executive Committee of FDJ decided to start a great campaign about this case of antimilitarist struggle in the FRG and the annexed GDR. We inform each progressive and  democratic youth organisation in FRG and send various press releases to the media.

We call upon them to show their solidarity. Either to spend money in order to publish more material for information and/or to write a solidarity adress to Ringo Ehlert.

Ringo Ehlert has evaded military police and he is out of reach of the German Jurisdiction, but surely he will go to the trial.

We will inform you in the next months about the further results of our campaign.

Up to that, we would like to ask you to examine this political activity in a very sincere way. We would be very pleased, if you could show your solidarity with short solidarity message or any other kind of solidarity (publishing in your press or something else).

If you have further interest or questions please don't hesitate and contact us!

Hoping to have stroke your interest.

Comradely

Klaus Hubig
resp. for international relations