Treatment of Conscientious Objectors

Aside from the problems they had in applying for discharge, COs faced unusual harassment during the Gulf War. Many refused orders on grounds of conscience and faced court-martial, where they received sentences ranging from $25,000 fines to as much as 30 months' imprisonment. The average sentence among 22 COs adopted as "prisoners of conscience" by Amnesty International was just over nine months in prison. Those who served time were often treated more harshly than other prisoners.

Some COs who refused to follow deployment orders were literally carried to Saudi-bound aircraft. One CO known to CCCO and adopted by Amnesty International was, in effect, handcuffed and kidnapped. Although there were few such incidents, physical abuse was always a possibility for those who resisted the war.

Physical maltreatment of COs was far less common than refusal to process claims or, where a claim was processed, denial of the claim on illegal grounds. Even after the war, the CO Review Boards continued to deny a much higher percentage of CO applications than they had previously done in peacetime. Their reasons for denial were often "boilerplate," which is legal slang for a standard phrase or cliché, often having little to do with the claim that was denied.

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