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The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection has published its Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2021, covering the region of the Council of Europe (CoE). 

Read and download the report here.

EBCO’s President Alexia Tsouni said:

On February 28, more than 390 South Korean NGOs held a press conference in front of the Russian Embassy in South Korea calling on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine and calling for peace. Following their press conference, the NGOs representatives delivered their statement to the Russian Embassy. Read their statement here.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in these difficult times and we support those resisting war in Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere.

In response to this morning's news, the Peace Pledge Union has released the following statement.

The Peace Pledge Union condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No excuses can serve to justify this murderous act of military aggression. Our thoughts are with people in Ukraine in the midst of this horror.

We demand an immediate stop to the attacks on Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a return to the negotiating table. We call on all soldiers to lay down their arms and refuse to go to war. We demand from the European Union to open its borders for refugees and to maintain the visa-free regime for Ukrainians. The German government must accept and support deserters and conscientious objectors from Ukraine and Russia.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) strongly condemns the Russian invasion in Ukraine this morning and calls all parties to strictly adhere to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the right to conscientious objection to military service, and to protect civilians, including internally displaced persons and refugees.

Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops to Donetsk and Luhansk has been condemned by peace activists in Russia, Ukraine and around the world.

The DFG-VK, the oldest German peace organization, condemns the deployment of Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine. Peace activists from Germany, Russia and Ukraine call for diplomacy instead of military escalation.

Looks like the United States and Russia are playing tug of war, pulling on opposite ends of Ukraine. So, it is time to hold both accountable. But how? First of all, by telling the truth. Great powers hate when we tell the truth because their power is based on great lies that vanish facing truth. Lies divide people to rule them. And truth, because of its non-contradictory nature, unites people of the world, empowers and nonviolently enforces peace.

Activists demand better control on the end-use of Flemish arms exports.