Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Israeli conscientious objector Hallel Rabin leaves prison

(26.11.2020) Hallel Rabin is released following 56 days in detention after an army board finally accepted that her pacifism was sincere and not driven by ’political considerations’

Standing at the gate of an army jail after being detained for refusing mandatory military service, 19-year-old conscientious objector Hallel Rabin said she was "the happiest person in the world". "My lawyer called me this morning and told me, ’you’re free’," she said.

Tadzhikistan: Conscientious objector freed, but another jailed

(05.11.2020) Rustamjon Norov, a 22-year-old Jehovah’s Witness from Dushanbe, is in Khujand Investigation Prison facing prosecution for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. He faces two to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.

On 1 November, conscientious objector Jovidon Bobojonov was freed under presidential prisoner amnesty after serving nine months of his two-year jail term.

Israel: Conscientious objector Hallel Rabin imprisoned

(22.10.2020) Israeli conscientious objector Hallel Rabin, 19, was imprisoned for her refusal to serve in the army. On 19th October, Rabin was sentenced to 25 days in military prison. This is Rabin’s third imprisonment. She has already spent 15 days behind bars in two terms.

Turkmenistan: 24th conscientious objector jailed since 2018

(11.09.2020) A court in Mary Region jailed 18-year-old Myrat Orazgeldiyev for one year on 3 September, the 24th Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objector to military service to be imprisoned since January 2018. Eleven – including Orazgeldiyev – are now jailed, eight of them at the harsh Seydi Labour Camp, where a former prisoner of conscience described conditions as "inhuman". All 24 young men offered to do an alternative civilian service, but none exists.