Connection e.V. - About Us

Many countries practice forceful recruitment for war. Objectors are discriminated against and persecuted. Connection e.V., an association founded in 1993, advocates a comprehensive right to conscientious objection at an international level. The organisation collaborates with groups opposing war, conscription and the military. Beyond Europe, our network extends to Turkey, the U.S., Israel, Latin America and Africa.

The danger of prosecution has forced many conscientious objectors to leave their countries. However, prosecution as a conscientious objector is usually not recognized as a reason for asylum. Connection e.V. demands that conscientious objectors from war regions should get asylum. We offer counseling and information to refugees and support for their self-organization.

Connection e.V. - Highlights

2023: #ObjectWarCampaign - Russia, Belarus, Ukraine: Protection for deserters and conscientious objectors (...more), Video workshop (...more), Focus Turkey (...more), International conference conscientious objection in Asia (...more), Solidarity with Israelian conscientious objectors (...more)

2022: Stop War in Ukraine! (...more); Get out! (...more); Asylum in case of desertion and conscientious objection in the case of the war in Ukraine (...more);

2021: Focus Turkey (...more), War in Tigray (...more); Conscientious Objection and Asylum (...more), Solidarity with the Ukrainian pacifist Ruslan Kotsaba (...more); 50 years conscientious objection in Germany (...mehr);

2020: Action to the International Day of Conscientious Objection (...more); New media (...more); Turkey: Projekt of the Association for Conscientious Objection (...more), Eritrea: Advocacy for asylum seekers from Eritrea (...more);

2019: Turkey: Active against war and violence (...more); Eritrea: Stop the Slavery (...more); International activities to South Korea (...more), Japan and Colombia; Scenic Reading "Military strike and desertion in the first World War"

2018: Stop the Cycle of Violence in Turkey! (...more); Action to South Korean conscientious objectors (...more); Booklet "Eritrea: A Country Under the Sway of a Dictatorship (...more); Scenic Reading "Military Strike and Desertion in the First World War" (...mehr)

2017:  Activists of South Korean organisation World Without War in Europe; Stop the Cycle of Violence in Turkey! (...more); International Conference to Eritrea (...more); Israel: Solidarity with Israelian conscientious objectors (...more)

2016: Stop the Cycle of Violence in Turkey! (...more); US AWOL soldier André Shepherd needs asylum (...more); Ukraine: Strengthening the struggle against war (...more); Israel: refusers agains occupation (...more);

2015: Activists of South Korean organisation World Without War in Europe; Art Meets Conscientious Objection - A creative weekend (...more); US AWOL soldier André Shepherd gets human rights award (...more); Tour with conscientious objectors from Israel;

2014: Speaking Tour "War in Ukraine: A torned country"; Mediterranean Conscientious Objectors Meeting (...more); U.S. AWOL soldier at European Court of Justice (...more)

2013: Speaking tour "Turkey - Escalation or Conflict Resolution?" ; Turkey: Campaign to Conscientious Objection; Seminar for Egyptian CO activists, Solidarity campaigns to conscientious objectors and deserters from United States and other countries

2012: Speaking tours "Egyptian Spring - Between revolution and military power" and „Arms Exports to Southern Africa: A Business with the Death; Turkey: Campaign to Conscientious Objection; Solidarity Campaign to conscientious objectors from Egypt, Turkey and United States

2011: Lecture tour „Arms Exports to Southern Africa: A Business with the Death“; Bertha-von-Suttner Art and Media Award for DVD „...but didn’t serve“; Solidarity Campaigns for Conscientious Objectors in Egypt and Turkey

2010: Eritrean Deserters get asylum after deportation; Speaking tour on Colombia with an activist of Red Juvenil, Medellín; U.S. AWOL Soldier André Shepherd is awarded the taz newspaper’s Panter Preis (...more);

2009: Connection e.V. wins the Martin-Niemöller-Stiftung’s Advancement Award; Hearing „Stop the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan“ (...more);

2008: Start of the campaign „Asylum for U.S. AWOL Soldier André Shepherd“ (...more); Reading tour to present the book by U.S. deserter Joshua Key, „The Deserter’s Tale“.

2007: Campaign for imprisoned U.S. conscientious objector Agustín Aguayo (...more); Connection supports the self-organized founding of the “Ethiopian War Resisters’ Initiative” (...more);

2006: Campaign for Turkish conscientious objectors achieves the release of Mehmet Tarhan from prison – Osman Murat Ülke wins at the European Court of Human Rights (...more);

2005: Speaking tour „The other Africa“ concerning nonviolent activities on the continent – Angolan peace activist Emanuel Matondo tours about 30 towns and cities in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France;

2004: For the first time, Eritrean deserters report about persecution in their home country (...more); Connection supports the self-organized founding of the “Eritrean Antimilitarist Initiative” (...more);

2003: Conference on “Militarization and Refugee Refusal in Europe” to mark the 10th anniversary of Connection e.V.;

2002: Speaking tours with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists with about 50 lectures and events.

2001: Connection e.V. is awarded the Siegmund-Schultze-Förderpreis; Speaking tour on Angola;

2000: Speaking tour with Russian peace activists on the war in Chechnya;

1999: „House for Deserters“ in Budapest; Deserters come to Münster, Germany, through the campaign “Town Initiatives for Deserters”;

1998: European Peace Congress in Osnabrück; Conventions with Turkish conscientious objectors in Germany;

1997: Deepening relations to Africa (South Africa, Chad, Angola, Algeria);

1996: Connection e.V. is awarded the Aachen Peace Prize; Conference on CO and asylum with a focus on Russia and other CIS countries;

1995: Public action of Turkish conscientious objectors in Frankfurt/M., Germany; beginning of regular exchange with objectors in Latin America (Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Guatemala);

1994: Founding of the „International Deserters Network“ to support deserters from former Yugoslavia;

1993: Connection e.V. is founded and takes up its work on Turkey;

since 1984: International work for conscientious objectors under the names of Working Group Southern Africa and Working Group Conscientious Objection in War; the bimonthly German newsletter “KDV im Krieg” (“CO in War”) is published for the first time.

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