Conscientious objection

On 4th July, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and War Resisters' International (WRI) have made an urgent appeal to the Lithuanian immigration authorities regarding the case of  Ivan Strashkevich, a conscientious objector from Belarus who is currently seeking asylum in Lithuania.

17 years after the first ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in favour of a Turkish conscientious objector, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe now took a surprisingly straightforward stance.

"As of last Friday, June 23rd, the Movement of Conscientious Objectors has been officially labeled as a "foreign agent" in the Russian Federation. This action, while a demonstration of the effectiveness of our work, is fundamentally a discriminatory application of law that contradicts universally accepted human rights and freedoms."

Conscientious Objection Watch (Vicdani Ret Izleme) has published a new report about the still missing right of conscientious objection in Turkey, not only describing the prosecution and punishment but also the consequences for conscientious objectors to live in a state of civil death.

Yesterday, 25 May 2023, at the Supreme Court of Ukraine in Kyiv, the court of cassation overturned the conviction of prisoner of conscience Vitaly Alekseenko, and ordered his immediate release from prison and his retrial in the court of first instance.

Protection and asylum for all those from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine who refuse military service Action week around the International Conscientious Objection Day

War is a crime against humanity. We condemn Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, which is contrary to international law and has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and millions of refugees. Those who are sent to the front by their governments are particularly affected.

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 International Fellowship of Reconciliation participated in the interactive dialogue which took place this morning in the plenary of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

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.