Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

15th May is the most meaningful day of May

Greeting of Yurii Sheliazhenko, Ukraine, to the International Day of Conscientious Objection 2023

(15.05.2023) I urge you to support the #ObjectWarCampaign calling for protection and asylum to conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The European Union must strongly reiterate respect for human right to conscientious objection to military service and to insist that Russia, Belarus and Ukraine must respect this human right too. Human rights constitute a basis of just peace.

Supreme Court of Ukraine releases a prisoner of conscience: conscientious objector Vitaly Alekseenko

(26.05.2023) Yesterday, 25 May 2023, at the Supreme Court of Ukraine in Kyiv, the court of cassation overturned the conviction of prisoner of conscience Vitaly Alekseenko (who attended by video link from prison), and ordered his immediate release from prison and his retrial in the court of first instance. EBCO delegate Derek Brett travelled from Switzerland to Ukraine and attended the court hearing as international observer.

Let us be voices of peace in the face of oppression

Speech of Maria Alexandrova, Russia, to the International Day of Conscientious Objection 2023

(15.05.2023) Yet, even amidst such adversity, organizations like the Movement of Conscientious Objectors continue to fight. They fight legal battles, support conscientious objectors, and persist in spreading their message of peace and non-violence. In the face of such significant obstacles, every small victory is a testament to their resilience and commitment.

We can win in this war only if we agree NOT to fight in it

Speech of Olga Karatch, Belarus, to the International Day of Conscientious Objection 2023

(15.05.2023) We can win in this war only if we agree NOT to fight in it, only if we DON’T speak the language of war and the language of hate, only if we DON’T agree with the notion that human rights mean nothing, that they are not universal.