A group of reluctant soldiers has launched a Supreme Court battle to get conscription in Bermuda outlawed.

Describing mandatory service with the Regiment as tantamount to "21st century slavery" the men plan to take their case to the European Court of Justice if necessary.

The group, calling itself Bermudians Against the Draft, plans to argue under the Human Rights Act that conscription breaches the right to freedom and that, because it only affects young men, it is also gender biased.

The men have enlisted lawyer Delroy Duncan to represent them. He has filed an originating motion — the first step in the process — in their names at the Supreme Court Registry.

The group has also won the backing of British Member of Parliament Andrew MacKinlay, who has been fighting conscription in Bermuda.

One member, Shaki Easton, 23, declared yesterday: "I'm proud that I am a part of Bermudians Against the Draft. People are standing up for their rights. It's about time."

The man behind the campaign, Larry Marshall Sr., launched the legal bid after his sons Larry Jr. and Lamont had wrangles with the Regiment, which requires conscripts to serve three years.

Mr. Marshall Sr., a Minister at the Church of the Living God in Pembroke, spoke out against conscription in The Royal Gazette last year.

This led the other 11 men aged 20 to 27 to join his sons in the class action. The group is pooling its resources to finance the anticipated court battle.

Battle against the draft