Conscientious objection

EBCO, Connection e.V., IFOR, and WRI strongly denounce the reported detention by the Russian authorities of large numbers of soldiers and mobilised civilians in a number of centres in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, because they refuse to participate in the war. Russian authorities are reportedly using threats, psychological abuse and torture to force those detained to return to the front.

The webinar series “Conscientious Objection to military service in times of war” continues with a new session focusing on Eritrea and the war in Tigray. The third webinar will take place on March 23rd at 4pm Geneva time and will host campaigners of the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights and Surbana – Voice of Eritrean Refugees.

EBCO and WRI call on the Ukrainian Government to release conscientious objector Vitaly Alekseenko immediately and unconditionally.

Ahead of the hearing on 6 March 2023,  before the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, of the case of Thomas Katsaros, whose application for the status of conscientious objector to military service has been rejected by the Minister of National Defence, Amnesty International, Connection e.V., the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and War Resisters’ International (WRI

WRI's affiliate the German Peace Society - United Opponents of War (DFG-VK) protests against the reactivation of conscription advocated by some parts of the government. The peace organization announced that, in case of doubt, it will take legal action against conscription - and also reactivate its advisory service for conscientious objectors.

The webinar series “Conscientious objection to military service in times of war” continues with a new session focusing on the war in Ukraine. The webinar on 3rd March (2pm Geneva, 3pm Kyiv, 4pm Moscow) will host campaigners of conscientious objection from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. 

In the framework of the #ObjectWarCampaign (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine: Protection and asylum for deserters and conscientious objectors to military service), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), War Resisters’ International (WRI), the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), and Connection e.V.

Ivano-Frankivsk police told Protestant conscientious objector Vitaly Alekseenko "to be ready to be taken to prison" on 20 February. He lost his appeal against his one-year jail term on 16 January. "The court gave me the decision to take him to prison. It's my job to carry this out," the police officer told Forum 18. His would be the first wartime conscientious objector jailing. "Unfortunately, the right to alternative service does not extend to martial law," said Viktor Yelensky of the State Service for Ethnic Policies and Freedom of Conscience.

You’re invited to the webinar series “The right to conscientious objection to military service in times of war”. The series will include a number of webinars each focusing on a particular conflict zone with the participation of conscientious objectors and campaigners on conscientious objection to military service. This first webinar will take place on 9th February at 4pm CET with the participation of activists from Ukraine, Colombia and Eritrea.

On the 20th of February 2023, we - Nash Dom, Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, Connection e.V., Federation for Social Defence, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Agir pour la paix and War Resisters’ International – call for demonstrations outside Belarusian embassies across Europe. These protests will draw attention to the danger of Belarus joining Russia by sending military personnel to attack Ukraine.

In Ukraine, on 16 January 2023, Ivano-Frankivsk Appeal Court rejected the appeal of 46-year-old Christian Vitaly Alekseenko against his conviction for refusing call up to the military on conscientious grounds. The organisations signing this statement express their full solidarity with Vitaly Alekseenko and urge the Ukrainian authorities to drop all charges against him immediately. The organisations underline that his conviction occurs in the context that Ukraine has suspended the right of conscientious objection in the current emergency and call for the relevant decree to be immediately reversed.

This article was first published on the Forum 18 website on 16th December 2022.