Conscientious objection

Since Russia’s ruler Putin declared a partial mobilisation for the war against Ukraine, men and women who want to flee the country out of fear of military service and state repression have been contacting PRO ASYL by the minute. This is the information we can currently give to those affected.

On 22 September, a Goranboy court jailed 22-year-old Jehovah's Witness Seymur Mammadov for nine months for refusing compulsory military service on conscientious grounds. On 25 July – two days after his 18th birthday – officers seized conscientious objector Royal Karimov and forcibly took him to a military unit in Ganca, where he is still held.

Israel will be holding parliamentary elections in November, and we need to make sure our Prime Minister and parliamentary candidates for office understand the occupation needs to end NOW. We will not accept nor participate in human rights violations. We have written the following statement and we need your help to make sure it reaches these Israeli politicians.

An IDF disciplinary body sentenced 18-year-old Israeli conscientious objector Shahar Schwartz to 10 days in military prison on Monday over his refusal to serve in the army. Schwartz, who graduated from high school this year, was jailed after appearing before the IDF’s conscientious objectors committee where he declared his intention to refuse service due to Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.

Official data obtained after a legal struggle by an applicant for conscientious objector (CO) status, revealed that the percentage of recognition of those applicants for CO status who cite ideological grounds has fallen to 0% in 2021. Greek authorities have also intensified unacceptable practices against conscientious objectors.

In Ukraine, a trial against Ukrainian journalist, pacifist and conscientious objector Ruslan Kostaba will be held on Tuesday 19 July 2022, simply because he publicly expressed his pacifist views.

On 7 June 2022, the European Court of Human Rights issued an important judgement (Teliatnikov v. Lithuania) in relation to the protection of the right of conscientious objection to military service under Article 9 of the European Human Rights Convention. 

In a webinar on June 22, 2022, refusers Shahar Perets and Eran Aviv will explain their approaches to conscientious objection in Israel and address the importance of conscientious objection to a peace and reconciliation process in the Middle East.

On April 17, 2022, Ukrainian pacifists adopted a statement reposted here, together with an interview with Yurii Sheliazhenko, executive secretary of the movement.

Dear conscientious objectors to military service, today we mark our CO day while war is being waged.

As the war with Ukraine began, the notion of refusing military service in Russia has become especially topical. Before the war, most conscripts and their relatives did not associate military service as conscripts with actual warfare. Conscription appeared to be something akin to a sports camp with elements of military training.

Every year on 15th May, the International Conscientious Objection Day, we organise solidarity with conscientious objectors (COs) and draw attention to their resistance to war. This year, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, we have a particular focus on the resistance of conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

The current restrictive recognition practice of German authorities for deserters prevents them from receiving protection here. In order for the resolution of German parliament of April 28, 2022, to take effect, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the BAMF must now immediately change their practices, PRO ASYL and Connection e.V. demand.