Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Ukraine: About new 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors

(30.10.2024) The number of new criminal cases against conscientious objectors has surged since summer 2024 after the General Prosecutor’s Office wrote to local prosecutors. About 300 conscientious objectors now face criminal investigations which could lead – if cases reach court and end in convictions – to a 3 to 5 year jail term. Of the 89 cases related to 86 individuals that have already reached trial (listed in this article), courts handed down 9 jail terms (only one conscientious objector is currently in jail), with 11 suspended sentences. Trials in 66 of the 89 known cases that have reached trial are ongoing.

Appeal for Donations

#ObjectWar Campaign - #StandWithObjectors

(25.10.2024) Support deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Their courageous step must be strengthened. A European network of groups and organizations offers hotline, counseling, accompaniment and support in asylum procedures and advocates for deserters and refusers on a political level. For this purpose we ask for your donation on the donation account set up especially for this purpose:

IBAN DE47 5055 0020 0006 0853 77, Sparkasse Offenbach, SWIFT HELADEF1OFF

You can also donate quickly and easily online: https://en.connection-ev.org/StopWarUkraineDonations-form

Donations are tax deductible. For a donation receipt, please provide us with your address. Thank you very much for your support.

Ukraine: Recruitment offices, military detain, pressure and torture conscientious objectors

(18.10.2024) On 11 June, Recruitment Office officials tortured Adventist conscientious objector Pavlo Halagan to pressure him to accept mobilisation. "They tied me to the bed with chains and began to physically torture, punch and beat me," he complained. On 1 July, at a military camp, "one commander grabbed me by the neck", Baptist conscientious objector Kiril Berestovoi complained. "He hit me on the head, beat me around the heart." The torture lasted half an hour. Officials use psychological pressure, detention (sometimes for several months), deprivation of food, threats, and beatings.

Six Russian soldiers granted French temporary entry permits after fleeing Ukraine

Organisations assisting deserters hope France’s decision will lead to more soldiers fleeing war

(17.10.2024) Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary entry permits as they apply for political asylum in France, in what human rights activists describe as the first major case of a group of deserters being admitted to a EU country.