Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Oral statement on the human rights of conscientious objectors and to conscientious objection and asylum

UN Human Rights Council, 57th Session

(20.09.2024) This morning, Zaira Zafarana, Connection’s international advocacy coordinator, delivered an oral statement on behalf of WRI and Connection e.V. in the plenary of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva during the General Debate on Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. She focused on the human right of conscientious objection to military service and specifically on the OHCHR thematic report presented to the Council during the last session and on the UNHCR Guidelines on International protection which clarify that conscientious objectors who are at risk of persecutions in their country of origin qualify for refugee status.

War In Europe: What Is Happening To Conscientious Objectors?

Press Release: Publication of EBCO Annual Report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2023/24”

(14.05.2024) The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) announces its forthcoming publication of its Annual Report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2023/24” on May 15^th, international conscientious objection day. It will be available online on 15 May 2024 on the EBCO website (www.ebco-beoc.org).

For the second year, this report is necessarily dominated by the war in Ukraine, with a large part of the space being taken up with reports of developments in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus and the situation of refugees from these countries. EBCO continues working on the #ObjectWarCampaign, which was jointly launched by Connection e.V., War Resisters’ International (WRI), International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO).

Krieg in Europa: Was geschieht mit Kriegsdienstverweiger*innen?

Pressemitteilung: Veröffentlichung des EBCO-Jahresberichts "Kriegsdienstverweigerung in Europa 2023/24"

(14.05.2024) Das Europäische Büro für Kriegsdienstverweigerung (EBCO) kündigt die bevorstehende Veröffentlichung seines Jahresberichts "Kriegsdienstverweigerung in Europa 2023/24" am 15. Mai, dem Internationalen Tag der Kriegsdienstverweigerung, an. Der Bericht wird am 15. Mai 2024 auf der Website von EBCO (https://www.ebco-beoc.org/) online verfügbar sein.

Im zweiten Jahr wird dieser Bericht zwangsläufig vom Krieg in der Ukraine dominiert; einen Großteil des Platzes nehmen Berichte über die Entwicklungen in der Ukraine, Russland und Belarus sowie die Situation von Flüchtenden aus diesen Ländern ein. EBCO arbeitet weiter bei der #ObjectWarCampaign mit, die gemeinsam von Connection e.V., War Resisters’ International (WRI), International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) und dem European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) ins Leben gerufen wurde.

Azerbaijan: Alternative service "not under discussion" despite latest ECtHR decision

(05.11.2021) Despite another European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decision that Azerbaijan violated the human rights of two more conscientious objectors, Saadat Novruzova of the Presidential Administration’s Human Rights Protection Unit told Forum 18 that changing the law to introduce a civilian alternative to compulsory military service "is not under discussion". Azerbaijan committed to the Council of Europe to introduce an alternative service by January 2003. The 7 October ECtHR decision reminded Azerbaijan of a similar earlier decision that "calls in principle for legislative action" to satisfy "the obligations incumbent on it of assuring .. the right to benefit from the right to conscientious objection".

Despite another European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decision that Azerbaijan violated the human rights of two more conscientious objectors, Saadat Novruzova of the Presidential Administration’s Human Rights Protection Unit told Forum 18 that changing the law to introduce a civilian alternative to compulsory military service "is not under discussion". Azerbaijan committed to the Council of Europe to introduce an alternative service by January 2003. The 7 October ECtHR decision reminded Azerbaijan of a similar earlier decision that "calls in principle for legislative action" to satisfy "the obligations incumbent on it of assuring .. the right to benefit from the right to conscientious objection".