Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Russia: Surge in Criminal Investigations Against Military Objectors

(June 2023) In the first half of 2023, Russian military courts have received 2,076 criminal cases concerning unauthorized absence from military service, as per Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code. This number is twice as high as the total cases for the entire year of 2022 and three times higher than the pre-war year of 2021. The majority of the accused are not contract soldiers but those who have been mobilized. Courts are now issuing around 100 verdicts per week, and this number is on the rise.

Turkey: Submission to the European Court of Human Rights

(April 2023) This input to the situation of conscientious objectors in Turkey was submitted to the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in April 2023.

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