NEWSBREAK

Russian Adventist Wins
Non-Combatant Service Status

BY REBECCA SCOGGINS, Adventist News Network correspondent

regional court in the Russian Far East has ruled that Seventh-day Adventist Church member Sergei Panchenko should be allowed to do alternative service rather than be forced to bear arms, against his religious beliefs, in the Russian army.

Panchenko, 18, petitioned for an alternative assignment when he was called to the army last year. Most Russian males are required to serve one or two years in the military, but a law passed in 2002 states that alternative service must be allowed for those who can demonstrate genuine pacifist convictions.

The military registration commission in Tambov, Amur Region, initially denied Panchenko's request, saying that no options for alternative service will be available until the new law officially takes effect January 1, 2004. Panchenko was subsequently ordered to enter the army's railroad division. After he appealed the order, citing his religious belief against killing, prosecutors opened a criminal case against him.

"The military and the court said they hoped to make an example of Panchenko," says Valery Ivanov, Euro-Asia Division communication director. "Instead, this young man showed that, without any doubt, he is a sincere Christian who cannot violate his conscience by carrying weapons. Both the court and the military representatives agreed that his convictions were genuine."

Panchenko was defended by lawyers from the Moscow-based Slavic Legal Center, an interfaith organization founded in 1992 to help safeguard the rights of religious believers in Russia and surrounding countries.

Although the new law on alternative service has not yet taken effect, the lawyers successfully argued Panchenko's case on the basis of the 1993 Russian constitution, which also guarantees pacifist conscripts the right to substitute civil service for armed service. This constitutional right has often been ignored during the past decade, and many conscientious objectors have been jailed or subjected to cruel hazing during their military service.

"The Adventist Church is extremely grateful for the expertise of the Slavic Legal Center," says Ivanov. "These lawyers, who happened to be a Baptist and a Pentecostal, flew nine hours to the other side of Russia to protect the rights of an 18-year-old Adventist. This case has inspired our church to believe that the legal system and constitution can work to protect devout Russian believers." Adventist members in Russia have consistently objected to many aspects of army service, such as bearing arms, killing, taking an oath of allegiance to the military, and performing nonessential duties on Saturday, their day of worship. While the Russian army sometimes assigns conscientious objectors to noncombatant duties, the right not to carry weapons is rarely guaranteed.

Since the alternative service program has not been finalized, Panchenko will likely have to wait until next year to begin his civilian assignment, says Viktor Krushenitsky, director of the Euro-Asia Division Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department. Duties may include working at fire departments, hospitals, or disaster sites. Young men who are approved for alternative assignments will probably be required to serve one or two years longer than those who serve in the army.
                                                           --Adventist News Network

United Nations Secretary-General
Condemns Killing of ADRA workers
Koffi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, released a statement excoriating the actions taken by Liberian rebels against three Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) workers.

"[He] strongly condemns the killing of Emmanuel Sharpulo, and Musa Kita, Liberian nations, and Kaare Lund (pictured right), a Norwegian national, three humanitarian workers of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), who were brutally killed in eastern Liberia on February 28, 2003," said Fred Eckhard, spokesman for the secretary-general. "The secretary-general extends his deepest sympathy to the families and colleagues of these three humanitarian workers, and demands that the government of Liberia determine the exact circumstances under which the incident took place, and bring the perpetrators to justice. He further calls on all parties to the conflict in Liberia to reinforce measures taken to ensure the protection of civilians, including relief workers."

Emmanuel Sharpulo, acting ADRA country director for Liberia; Kaare Lund, ADRA director for Norway; and Musa Kita, ADRA chief driver, were killed in an outbreak of rebel fighting on their way to a Norwegian-funded ADRA refugee shelter project in the area of Toe Town, in eastern Liberia.

New Edition of Lifelines Available
for Public Service Announcements
The new edition of Lifelines, a public service radio program, has just been produced and mailed to 1,000 public and Christian radio stations across North America. The new CD includes 54 spots--one for every week of the year--that are 60 seconds each, and parallel the seasons, holidays, and officially observed dates, such as the Great American Smokeout and Diabetes Awareness Month.

Each program offers practical tips on some aspect of health and ends by letting listeners know that it is provided by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a public service.

"Our goal in producing Lifelines is to provide North Americans with information that will help them live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives," says DeWitt Williams, health ministries director of the North American Division. "Studies show Adventists have the secret; here's a wonderful way for us to share our knowledge of health with the general public."

This is the fourth edition of the radio program that's jointly produced by the communication and health ministries departments of the North American Division. Lifelines is hosted by medical expert Elmar Sakala, M.D., M.P.H., of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, and named after the most popular section in Vibrant Life magazine, which is sent free to listeners who inquire about the program.

"If you're looking for a weekly program to place on your community radio station that can be sponsored by your church, try Lifelines," says Kermit Netteburg, executive producer. "The response from station managers has been very positive. In fact their biggest request is for us to produce the program more frequently."

For a free copy of Lifelines, please call 805-955-7606.--North American Division Office of Communication, www.nadadventist.org.

U.S. State Department Issues List Omits
Some Key Violators of Religious Freedom
Reacting to the newly released State Department list of religious freedom violators, attorney James Standish expressed concern at the U.S. action not to designate countries who have seriously violated religious freedom, such as India, Laos, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Sudan.

"While we appreciate the work of the U.S. State Department in advancing religious freedom, we are naturally disappointed that some of the world's most egregious violators of liberty of conscience were not identified in the State Department's list this year," commented Standish, director of legislative affairs for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "We meet frequently with State Department representatives, and will continue to press for all nations that are involved in systematic, serious violations of religious freedom be held accountable for their violations of human rights."

Reports from the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) provided gruesome accounts and evidence of harassment, torture, imprisonments, and even killings in many of these countries. Other non-governmental organizations and human rights agencies have also released similar reports. Religious freedom is non-existent in Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and Sudan.

"As a Church, we are appalled at the rising wave of religious violence that is engulfing the world," comments Jonathan Gallagher, U.N. liaison director for the Adventist Church. "These issues will be addressed at the upcoming session of the U.N. Commission for Human Rights in Geneva," Gallagher added. "We will do all we can to ensure religious freedom for all people everywhere. Religious freedom is a basic human right as guaranteed in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Seventh-day Adventist members have also experienced religious intolerance in some of these countries. In 1999, the Adventist church in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan was bulldozed by city officials, worship services interrupted, and members harassed. One church member was evicted from her apartment for holding mid-week meetings in her private home.

"Our members and those without a voice look to communities like the Adventists to add our voices and resources to this global battle against the forces of evil intimidation and persecution. We shall continue to press the State Department to re-assess the religious freedom violations in those countries," Standish concluded.

Marketing Director Needed
The Adventist Review has a vacancy for marketing director. We are looking for someone who:

Loves the Lord and is a member of the Adventist Church
Believes in the ministry of the Adventist Review
Is: Energetic, Creative, Hardworking, Self-motivated
Minimum education: college degree
Experience in business preferred

The job calls for travel in North America, with occasional travel abroad.
Send resumes by March 31 to:

The Executive Publisher
Adventist Review
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600

For further information, email [email protected] or call (301)680-6560, or fax (301) 680-6638.

News Notes

The Panorama of Prophecy CD-ROM, an interactive CD Bible-based seminar which debuted in August 2001, has more than a quarter-million in circulation around the world. "We praise God for His direction in this inspired project. Individuals and churches continue to stock up and distribute them by the hundreds, generating relationships with truth-seekers around the globe," said Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts ministries, distributor of the CD.

More Religious News
Adventist News Network
Religion News Service
Religion Today