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18-Sep-2003

Conscientious objector Stephen Funk sentenced to six month imprisonment

by: Andreas Speck/WRI

North America: On 6 September, US Marine Stephen Funk was sentenced to six month imprisonment for unauthorised absence (AWOL). The military jury acquitted him of the more serious charge of desertion, but found him guilty of unauthorised absence.
On 10 September Stephen Funk was transferred to Camp Lejeune in North-Carolina, where he will serve his prison sentence.

War Resisters' International is now concerned about the safety of Stephen Funk. As an outspoken critic of the war on Iraq, and an openly gay man, he will be at particular risk while serving his sentence.

Based on past experiences of objectors who served time in Camp Lejeune brig, prisoners are forced to undergo indoctrination that mirrors boot camp. The intent is to force prisoners to comply with prison rules.

During the 1991 Gulf War, conscientious objectors were subject to numerous instances of harassment and hazing. According to Gulf War (I) objector Erik Larsen, prisoners were forced to scream such things as, “Blood makes the grass grow, Marines make the blood flow!” Larsen was also sentenced to a six months in the Camp Lejeune brig for unauthorized absence in 1991.

In this situation, it is very important that Stephen Funk receives letters of support while in prison.

Prison address
Stephen Funk
Building 1041
PSC 20140
Camp Lejeune NC 28542
United States of America

War Resisters' International calls for protest letters to the US authorities, and US embassies abroad, demanding the immediate release of Stephen Funk as a conscientious objector.

Addresses:

George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
tel +1 202 456 1414
fax +1 202 456 2461
email president@whitehouse.gov (to send a protest email to George W. Bush, go to http://www.wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20030918a.html)

Donald H. Rumsfield
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Addresses of US embassies world-wide can be found at http://travel.state.gov/links.html
You can sign an online petition in support of Stephen Funk at http://www.petitiononline.com/stephenf/petition.html
For further information see http://www.notinourname.net/funk/

Source: War Resisters' International