Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Oral statement given at Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus

UN Human Rights Council, 59th Session

(26.06.2025) Today at the UN in Geneva it took place at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. On this occasion, Connection e.V. together with War Resisters’ International prepared and delivered a statement in the plenary addressing the right to conscientious objection to military service and the increasing militarization of the society including the educational system leading to underage exposure to militaristic trainings.

Ukraine: Appellate court is reluctant to acquit a conscientious objector

(23.06.2025) The Kyiv Court of Appeal has postponed until September 30 the consideration of the appeal of Valentyn Adamchuk, who asks to find him not guilty of evading the draft during mobilization. Adamchuk belongs to the Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostal) "Living Hope", whose creed prohibits the use of weapons. The Darnytskyi District Court of Kyiv sentenced him to three years in prison for his Christian faithfulness to the commandments and a request for alternative non-military service.

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

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