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Conscientious Objection Highlighted in Recent UN Reports

Two recent reports within the UN system have reaffirmed that the right to conscientious objection to military service is an essential part of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

PPU at the DSEI protests

UK: Protesting the DSEI arms fair and remembering victims of the arms trade

As arms dealers queued to enter one of the world's largest weapons fairs in London last week (the euphemistically titled Defence and Security Equipment International, or DSEI), they were greeted with a remembrance ceremony for all the victims of their deadly trade.

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UN Side Event: Conscientious Objection in Times of War

War Resisters’ International, in collaboration with Connection e.V., is organising a side event during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event will focus on the right to conscientious objection in times of war with contributions of conscientious objectors from Russia, Ukraine and Israel, alongside experts from international organisations.

Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal at a conference in South Korea

Thailand: Drop Charges Against Conscientious Objector Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal

We, the undersigned organisations, express our strong support for Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, Thailand’s first public conscientious objector, who faces trial at the Provincial Court of Samut Prakan on 10–11 September 2025. Netiwit’s refusal to serve, first declared as a teenager after the Thai military seized power in 2014, is a matter of conscience. His refusal is not only a deeply personal act of conscience, but also a stance that international law recognises and protects.