Right to Refuse to Kill

A few days ago, the Berlin Administrative Court issued two rulings granting subsidiary protection to Russian conscripts. By doing so, the Administrative Court challenged a landmark decision issued by the Higher Administrative Court Berlin-Brandenburg in November.

In a statement marking the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN emphasized that 2024 saw a concerning increase in the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts.

Lithuania is discussing expanding its military conscription to include women as part of an "effort to strengthen national defense and make conscription universal in the future." Giedrimas Jeglinskas, the chairman of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense, expressed that universal conscription is inevitable.

Three years ago, Russia attacked Ukraine, resulting in devastating consequences. Yet, there are also hundreds of thousands of individuals in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine who have refused to participate in the war. What is the state of their right to conscientious objection? What about their protection? Join us in this discussion with peace activists and campaigners from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. 

On 16 February 2023, in the resolution ‘One year of Russia’s invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine’, the EU Parliament demanded that Member States provide protection for conscientious objectors and deserters fleeing Belarus, Russia, and occupied Ukraine. However, this is not guaranteed in most Member States.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected Turkey’s appeal against the conviction as an outcome of Murat Kanatlı’s complaint, a conscientious objector who refused compulsory military service in Northern Cyprus. The ECHR’s ruling, issued on September 24, upheld the violation of rights verdict in Kanatlı’s case against Turkey. Ankara was ordered to pay the conscientious objector 9,000 euros in non-pecuniary damages and 2,363 euros for trial and other expenses.

The number of new criminal cases against conscientious objectors has surged since summer 2024 after the General Prosecutor's Office wrote to local prosecutors. About 300 conscientious objectors now face criminal investigations which could lead – if cases reach court and end in convictions – to a 3 to 5 year jail term.

The following list includes individuals who have been imprisoned for their nonviolent resistance to war and conscientious objection to military service.

On December 1st, Prisoners for Peace Day, we stand in solidarity with conscientious objectors and activists imprisoned for their work against war and its preparations. On this day, we share the stories and names of those detained for their work for peace, human rights, and commitment to nonviolence, and invite you to show solidarity by sending letters to them.

A recent report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed that the Revolutionary Youth Movement of Syria is still recruiting children as young as 12. This is happening despite promises from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration to stop the recruitment of children. HRW is urging the SDF and the US, which provides military support to the SDF, to take immediate action to stop the recruitment of children.

Russia has started its autumn 2024 military recruitment campaign, aiming to enlist 133,000 men, many of whom are expected to be deployed to the ongoing war in Ukraine. This would be the second routine recruitment campaign since the maximum age was raised from 27 to 30 years.

In October 2024, both Croatia and Serbia announced the reintroduction of military conscription. Both countries had previously abolished compulsory military service: Serbia in 2011 and Croatia in 2008. Starting in January 2025, Croatia will require young men to serve for a period of two months, while Serbia plans for conscription to last 75 days.