Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Switzerland - Conscientious objection to military service and related issues

Connection e.V. reports to the UN Human Rights Committee (144th session)

(April 2025) The report focused mainly on a. the punitive duration of the alternative civilian service, b. the possible criminalisation / punishment of conscientious objectors who refuse or fail to perform such a punitive and discriminatory alternative civilian service, c. reports that in such cases conscientious objectors are tried by military courts.

Morocco - Conscientious objection to military service

Connection e.V. reports to the UN Human Rights Committee (144th session)

(April 2025) Compulsory military service has been reintroduced in the country in 2019. The report (contribution to the list of issues) aimed at suggesting questions to be addressed by the Committee to the country during its review, such as requesting information on the current regulations for conscriptions, professional soldiers and reservists.

Standing up at the United Nations for conscientious objectors’s right to refuse to participate in the war in Ukraine

UN Human Rights Council, 57th Session

(28.03.2025) On Friday March 28th 2025 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presented his report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine at the United Nations in Geneva. Following several Member states taking the floor in the plenary of the Human Rights Council to comment and address questions to the High Commissioner, Connection e.V., together with War Resisters International, delivered an oral statement which also reported the names of several conscientious objectors to military service who are currently persecuted, sentenced or forcibly recruited.

Connection e.V. presents analysis: Federal High Court attacks basic right to conscientious objection

(12.03.2025) On January 16, 2025, the German Federal High Court (BGH) issued a decision on the question of whether a Ukrainian citizen could be extradited even though he had declared that he is a conscientious objector, and Ukraine had suspended the right to conscientious objection in the event of war. Today, Connection e.V. presented an analysis of the BGH decision and concludes that the BGH failed to take into account key aspects of the decision.