Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Advocacy at the UN and much more, February till June 2025

Belarus, Mongolia, Eritrea, United States, Switzerland, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Latvia, ...

(15.06.2025) Zaira Zafarana, international advocacy coordinator of Connection e.V. raised the issue of conscientious objection to military service in different countries by submitting country-based reports to UN mechanisms for upcoming reviews and reporting.

May 15th 2025: International Conscientious Objection Day

Social Media initiative started

(14.05.2025) Several organizations worldwide stand in solidarity with those who refuse to kill and engage in wars and are for this reason persecuted, criminalized and jailed. The undersigned organizations -active also at the European level- address a specific appeal to the European institutions and Member States to protect and fully implement the right to conscientious objection to military service: "We call on Europe to fully implement this human right and to protect those who object to military service in their own countries and that, because of persecutions, seek protection in European countries."

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Week of Action for the International Day of Conscientious Objection, 15 May 2025

All events

Around the International Day of Conscientious Objection, 15 May, there will be events and actions in several countries: Istanbul, London, Seoul, Bogotá, Medellín, Carlisle, Liverpool, Wokingham, Oxford, Staffordshire, Leicester, Washington, Edinburgh, Göttingen, Celle, Aalen, Mainz, Oldenburg, Greifswald, Schwerin, Nottuln, Erlangen, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Marburg, Mainz, Bonn, Bielefeld, Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Berlin. With these events, we are calling for protection for all those who refuse to go to war. Conscientious objection is a human right, especially during war. Persecuted conscientious objectors and deserters need asylum!

#RefuseWar everywhere! - Call to action on May 15

International Conscientious Objection Day

(08.04.2025) On May 15, the International Conscientious Objection Day, we want to send out a powerful joint message for peace and the right to refuse to kill. Especially in times of global armed conflict, it is more important than ever to promote public debate on conscription, conscientious objection and alternatives to the military.