Conscientious objection

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.

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.

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.

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.

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, 21st September, Connection e.V., the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the European Office for Conscientious Objection and War Resisters’ International have launched a signature campaign for deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Read more and sign here.

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

As War Resisters, we stress that we do not support any kind of war and, at the same time, we strive for removal of all causes of war. We want to express our support and solidarity for those nonviolently resisting the war in Ukraine. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the bravery of all those arrested in Russia recently.

Mark Romankov, aged 22, had attended university in Germany for some prior to 2022. It was during the days just before the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops that he returned to Germany – and sought asylum just there soon after.

No legal or practical provision exists for alternative civilian service (ACS) during mobilisation, despite the Constitution guaranteeing this right for every citizen. This has led to military recruitment offices refusing applications for ACS and sending conscientious objectors to military units.

We, Israeli youth, refuse to join the Israeli army and take part in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip. We call out to all citizens of Israel to open their eyes and see the policy of oppression over the palestinian people carried out by the Israeli government. We object to the militaristic education forced on us by the same oppressive policies, we object to the educational system teaching us to hate our neighbors, and we object to the social norms that prohibits the educational system from sharing the true reality in the Palestinian territories with children and youth.