Together, we in No to Compulsory Military Service (Egypt) and New Profile (Israel) confirm our support of peace and of conscientious objectors in both countries, re-affirming the human right to freedom of conscience, faith and self-determination. We condemn the way both our governments treat conscientious objectors: Natan Blank, Emad El Dafrawi, and Mohammed Fathy.

Dovran Matyakubov and Matkarim Aminov are Jehovahs Witness conscientious objectors in Turkmenistan. They have already been imprisoned for 18 months each (being released in June 2012), but in December were sentenced to a further two years imprisonment.

Yesterday, the Munich Administrative Court informed counsel for the AWOL U.S. soldier André Shepherd, attorney Reinhard Marx, that the hearing on his asylum application scheduled for next Wednesday has been cancelled. The Munich Administrative Court will submit a request for a preliminary ruling to the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg, and will therefore suspend the proceedings, thus agreeing to a motion by attorney Marx.

War Resisters' International has learned that 19 year-old conscientious objector, Fakhraddin Mirzayev, has been sentenced to one years' imprisonment. Fakhraddin, who is a Jehovah's Witness, was given a one-year prison sentence on 25 September by a court in Gyanja, and has lodged an appeal.