Maria Silvia Trigo reports for El Deber:

TCP rejects conscientious objection and military service is compulsory

The Plurinational Constitutional Court ruled that conscientious objection is unconstitutional and that military service is compulsory at 18 years old.

The Plurinational Constitutional Court (TCP) declared unconstitutional the right to conscientious objection, so that military service is still obligatory in Bolivia.

Judge Oswaldo Valencia read the decision through which the TCP rejects conscientious objection to avoid military service, after analyzing a constitutional appeal filed by José Ignacio Orías in November 2015, as indicated by the portal ‘periodimso Que Cuenta.’ [Journalism That Counts]

Moreover, TCP gave reason to the Ombudsman who filed an abstract unconstitutionality claiming that compulsory military service is from 18 and not from 17, according to ABI, state news agency.

Background

In November last year [2015], Jose Ignacio Orías (18) decided to raise conscientious objection to military service, since he assures, he does not agree with the “principles of war, death, violence”.

His argument led him to submit a letter to the Ministry of Defense, which indicated that military service is at odds with his convictions. After the response, reaffirming the mandatory condition and rejected his request to refrain from military training, he introduced a constitutional protection that was rejected this Wednesday.

http://www.eldeber.com.bo/bolivia/tcp-rechaza-objecion-conciencia-y.html