Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Russia: Release all those who object to engage in the war

Illegally detention in the Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine

(28.03.2023) The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), Connection e.V. (Germany), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and War Resisters’ International (WRI) strongly denounce the reported detention by the Russian authorities of large numbers of soldiers and mobilised civilians in a number of centres in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, because they refuse to participate in the war. Russian authorities are reportedly using threats, psychological abuse and torture to force those detained to return to the front.

Turkey: January-March 2023 Conscientious Objection Watch Bulletin Released

(March 2023) In this issue of The Conscientious Objection Watch Bulletin, you’ll find information about the inquiries made to the Conscientious Objection Watch regarding conscientious objection and conscription between January-March 2023; updated data on the rights violations experienced by conscientious objectors; and the declarations of conscientious objection in the 3-month period covering January-March

Eritrea: Crackdown on Draft Evaders’ Families

Collective Punishment Over Forced Conscription Campaign

(09.02.2023) The Eritrean government has in recent months punished relatives of thousands of alleged draft evaders as part of an intensive forced conscription campaign, Human Rights Watch said today.Eritrean security forces have been heavily involved in operations in support of the Ethiopian government since the outbreak of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, and have carried out some of the conflict’s worst abuses. Eritrean authorities have conducted waves of roundups in Eritrea to identify people it considers draft evaders or deserters.

Ukraine: Drop all charges against Vitaly Alekseenko immediately

Conscientious objector goes to prison

(18.01.2023) In Ukraine, on 16 January 2023, Ivano-Frankivsk Appeal Court rejected the appeal of 46-year-old Christian Vitaly Alekseenko against his conviction for refusing call up to the military on conscientious grounds. "I told the court I agree that I have broken the law of Ukraine," Alekseenko told Forum 18, "but I am not guilty under the law of God." When he gets the written verdict, which he expects on 19 January, the one-year imprisonment sentence will go into force and he expects to be taken to prison immediately afterwards.