An anti-conscription campaigner has received top marks from his college professor for a paper calling for an end to Bermuda’s draft.Jamel Hartman Hardtman wrote the 2,200-word ethics essay, entitled ‘Violating Human Rights for National Interest’, as part of his graduate studies at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.His tutor Dr Gary Gray gave him an A, telling him: “I understand your concern. Nice arguments.”Mr Hardtman, a member of Bermudians Against the Draft (BAD), told The Royal Gazette: “I think the title explains the whole problem. Is it okay to violate human rights for national interest?“If we allow one form of discrimination because of national interest, we are opening up a can of worms for everything else.”Mr Hardtman, who is studying for a master’s degree in business administration, served six months in the Bermuda Regiment in 2001, a stint he describes as the “worst experience of my life”.He went overseas to college and returned to the Island in 2007 but claims the Regiment didn’t try to make him complete his military service until he got involved with BAD.He’s since been arrested for failing to attend Warwick Camp and last week appeared before the Defence Exemption Tribunal as a conscientious objector.Mr Hardtman said his university classmates were from all over the world, including Belarus, China, Nepal and Iran.“I gave a speech about my paper and the first question that was asked was from a girl from China, who said: ‘Is Bermuda like North Korea?’.“I didn’t speak badly of Bermuda. I spoke badly of conscription. You can’t call yourself a free country if you are going to be forcing young men against their will to do something.“The only crime young men [who get drafted] have committed in Bermuda is to be born here.”Former Hott 1075 radio presenter Mr Hardtman links the issue to racism in his paper, arguing Bermuda’s conscripts are disproportionately black and the draft is one of the biggest cases of “black on black crime” that the country has seen.The 29-year-old, of Pembroke, writes: “Conscription has lived way past its time and, like slavery and segregation, must now be left in the past.”Regiment spokesman Captain Ben Beasley told The Royal Gazette statistics on the racial make-up of each year’s intake of soldiers were not recorded.He claimed of Mr Hardtman’s essay: “As you can appreciate, an unmarked, unsigned, unpublished paper at this level has quite little value for academic study; in addition, there are a few factual errors in the document.“Nonetheless, I am pleased that he appears to be doing well academically.”Capt Beasley did not provide further comment or information on the mistakes he claimed the essay contained.BAD has made numerous unsuccessful legal bids to get conscription outlawed, losing its most recent attempt in the Supreme Court.Mr Hardtman and brothers Larry Jr and Lamont Marshall issued a writ against the Regiment’s commanding officer, claiming their constitutional right to be protected from inhuman treatment would be breached if they had to do military service.Puisne Justice Norma Wade-Miller rejected the argument last month and BAD founder Larry Marshall Sr has pledged to appeal her decision.l Useful websites: www.bermudaregiment.bm, www.jwu.edu, www.draftresistance.org/BAD.php