Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Digest May 2024

Newsletter

(09.07.2024) Friends, hello everyone! This is Artem Klyga from the Movement of Conscientious Objectors. In May, we faced mass raids on conscripts in Moscow. There were so many that we had to launch a public assistance campaign with our colleagues. Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, the first abduction of a Russian deserter by the military police has taken place. Kazakhstan is not a safe country, and we have written and spoken about this many times. In Krasnodar, conscripts are being forcibly sent to military service after undergoing medical examinations, and in various regions of Russia, the traffic police are unlawfully taking on the functions of military offices. Enjoy reading!

Peace Activist Olga Karach Was Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Due to Her Human Rights Activities

Belarus must stop prosecuting peace activists and conscientious objectors!

(09.07.2024) The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, War Resisters’ International (WRI), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and Connection e.V.  condemn the 12-year prison sentence and a fine of 170,000 Euros imposed on EBCO board member Olga Karach in her recent trial in Belarus.

Committee of Ministers of the European Council urges Turkey to recognize the right of conscientious objection

(13.06.2024) The Committee of Ministers DEEPLY REGRETTED that three of the applicants in these cases (Osman Murat Ülke, Yunus Erçep and Ersin Ölgün) are still considered draft evaders and continue to face the threat of criminal and administrative proceedings. STRONGLY URGED the authorities therefore to take without further delay all necessary measures to put an end to the violation of the applicants’ rights.

Ukraine: Stop the criminalization of peace and human rights speech and the prosecution of Yurii Sheliazhenko

Pacifism is not a crime

(07.06.2024) The undersigned organizations express their deep disappointment and grave concerns about the continuing harassment of peace activists and conscientious objectors, including the obviously arbitrary prosecution of Yurii Sheliazhenko, Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement and EBCO Board member, whose trial is set on 11 June 2024 at 14:15 Kyiv time, in the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv City (case No 757/16536/24-k, judge Oleg Bilotserkivets) and could result in jail sentence up to five years.