Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Colombia: Brayan Gonzales Blanco recruited irregularly by the army

(19.02.2020) On September 2, 2019 Brayan Gonzales Blanco was irregularly recruited by the Army to perform military service in Battalion No. 13 located in the municipality of Ubalá-Cundinamarca (Colombia). He has been incorporated for five months. In the first week of February, 2020 he began the process to define his military status as a conscientious objector and requested to be released. This has led to the military authorities within the battalion exerting psychological violence on him, putting his emotional well-being at risk.

Please send support letters to the Colombian authorities: https://wri-irg.org/es/programmes/rrtk/co-support-email/2020/desacuartelamiento-para-brayan-gonzales-blanco-reclutado

Turkey: Conscientious objectors call to refuse

(23.10.2019) Today, exiled conscientious objectors from Turkey published a call to refuse the war in Northern Syria: “Refuse! Resist! Don’t be a soldier!” They declared: “This is an illegal war that contradicts international treaties. Those who make the decision to invade, those who participate in it, and those who offer support should know that they are committing a crime against humanity!”

Turkey: Do not be a supporter of the military deployment to Libya!

(14.01.2020) The Turkish Grand National Assembly approved a bill to deploy troops to Libya on 2 January. This bill fuels the war and internal conflict in Libya. The Turkish government has been taking steps that inflame the war in the eastern Mediterranean region and Libya for a while. With the bill, Turkey is destroying peace. As conscientious objectors and war resisters, we are absolutely against the bill approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. We invite everyone to take a stand against it.

South Korea: Alternative to military service is new punishment for conscientious objectors

(27.12.2019) Conscientious objectors in South Korea will continue to be punished and stigmatized for refusing military service under a new alternative service law that was adopted today by the country’s parliament, said Amnesty International. Under the new law, those refusing military service on religious or other grounds will be required to work in a jail or other correctional facility for three years. Previously, they would have been jailed for 18 months.