Advocating for conscientious objectors in Ukraine, including in the occupied territories, UN Council for Human Rights

(09.07.2025) On July 3rd, Ms. Ilze brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported at the Council on the situation of human rights in Crimea and occupied territories in Ukraine, during the Interactive Dialogue on the Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol Report of the Secretary-General. The full statement of the Special Rapporteur is available at https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/59/67]

Following comments by members states (Russian Federation was not in the room), the International Advocacy Coordinator of Connection e.V. took the floor in the plenary to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine and inform about the current violations of the right to conscientious objection in the occupied territories and in the rest of the country where there is a de facto lack of provisions for conscientious objection claims and thus it is alarmingly increasing the number of objectors imprisoned.

The other important issue addressed is the difficulty encountered by Russian objectors and deserters to safely find protection abroad.

You can download the statement here: C:UsersofficeDocuments59th HRC WRI ID item 10 Ukraine _public updated.pdf

You can watch the delivery of the statement during the Interactive Dialogue here. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1gyvqit80?kalturaStartTime=8367&config

Madam Vice-president,

War Resisters International (WRI), together with its partner Connection e.V., expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine suffering from the military aggression of the Russian Federation and call for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiation.

We raise concerns about the Russian Federation forcibly imposing military registration and conscription¹ in occupied territories, pressuring civilians to sign contracts for military service² and indoctrinating children militaristically³. In Crimea, 14 Jehovah’s Witnesses have been imprisoned,⁴ and illegal mobilisation produced 574 criminal cases⁵.

Russian soldiers mobilized [in February 2022] into [the armies of] the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine [and, in September 2022, incorporated into the Russian armed forces] are unable to refuse military service. In the event of desertion, they face criminal prosecution in Russia and suspicion of treason from the Ukrainian side. As a result, they have virtually no opportunity to apply for asylum in a safe country and their relocation is nearly impossible.⁶

In Ukraine there are still no effective procedures for conscientious objection claims and exemption from military duty. 15 prisoners of conscience detained in prisons and military units, as reported by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) should be released⁷, and objectors accused of draft evasion acquitted.

The lack of recognition of the human right to conscientious objection has also been reported in the OHCHR periodic report⁸ as well as 9 cases of torture and ill-treatment of conscientious objectors⁹ [arbitrarily detained by military recruiters] and pressure by military recruiters on members of the legal profession¹⁰.

We urge the full implementation of the human right to refuse military service [inherent in art 18 of ICCPR]¹¹. We hope the Constitutional Court of Ukraine will promptly satisfy complaints of conscientious objectors Dmytro Zelinsky and Vitalii Alexeienko and [eventually] acquit¹² Vitalii Kryushenko¹³.

Thank you.

Keywords:    ⇒ Ukraine