Natan Blanc (Photo Credit: Hagar Shezaf for Amnesty International).
By Nehal Amer, Social Media Specialist, Middle East Coordination Group
They did it again. Israeli authorities have put 19 year-old Natan Blanc in prison for the ninth time for courageously putting into practice his conscientiously held beliefs and refusing to serve in the Israeli military.
We have followed Natan’s on-going struggle through Urgent Actions and a blog posted on April 8, 2013.
Amnesty International considers those imprisoned for total or selective objection to military service for reasons of conscience to be prisoners of conscience who should be immediately and unconditionally released.
Natan has served some 130 days in jail already since refusing the military call-up for the first time last November. Every few weeks he is released, then tried and imprisoned again after repeating his refusal to serve in the army.