European Bureau for Conscientious Objection

Brussels, 29 August 2013

One year after his sudden death, EBCO honours the memory of Gerd Greune, co-founder of EBCO, and a prominent figure in the fields of pacifism, conscientious objection to military service, and human rights.

EBCO has uploaded a memorial video tribute here:

As Members of the European Parliament, who were elected to represent our constituents throughout Europe, we are writing to express our concerns about the ongoing persecution of Bradley Manning, the young U.S. soldier who released classified information revealing evidence of human rights abuses and apparent war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Athens 1st of July 2013

The current year is one of the worst periods in the history of Conscientious Objection in Greece, as measured by the number of prosecutions. Long-forgotten charges have been re-activated in a deliberate attempt to suffocate the objectors personally and financially.

Atenas 1o de Julio 2013

Athènes, le 1er juillet 2013

European Parliament / Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief / The right to conscientious objection to military service/ approved on 13 06 2013

The European Parliament has approved on 13 June 2013 a recommendation to the Council of 13 June 2013 on the draft EU Guidelines on the Promotion European Parliament recommendation and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief (2013/2082(INI)).

"The right to conscientious objection

Brussels, 05 june 2013
On Monday 3rd June 2013 Michalis Tolis, a 30-year-old total objector was arrested and brought to the police station of Ioannina. The charge against him is insubordination. He was transferred to Athens and brought before the Military Court of Athens on Tuesday 4th June. The trial was postponed to today, Wednesday 5th June. Alexia Tsouni will observe the trial on behalf of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection.

Francesco Candelari, SG of IFOR , is just back from Libanon, on the border with Syria, where he met last weeks, together with Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Nobel Prize for Peace), several representatives of Syrian civil society in exile. What about nonviolent resistance movements in Syria, the civil society and the political actuality. Is a nonviolent response possible　?

Fr. Candelari has worked in the past as journalist and for the UN in New York.

Brussels, 15 May 2013
On the occasion of the International Day on Conscientious Objection on May 15th, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) expresses its deep concern over the grave violations of the rights of conscientious objectors in some European countries, particularly in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Greece, and calls their governments to urgently fully recognise the right to conscientious objection to military service, in line with the European and international standards and recommendations.

Βρυξέλλες, 15 Μαΐου 2013

Με την ευκαιρία της Παγκόσμιας Ημέρας για την Αντίρρηση Συνείδησης στις 15 Μαΐου, το Ευρωπαϊκό Γραφείο για την Αντίρρηση Συνείδησης (EBCO) εκφράζει τη βαθιά του ανησυχία για τις σοβαρές παραβιάσεις των δικαιωμάτων των αντιρρησιών συνείδησης σε ορισμένες ευρωπαϊκές χώρες, ιδιαίτερα στην Τουρκία, το Αζερμπαϊτζάν, την Αρμενία και την Ελλάδα, και καλεί τις κυβερνήσεις τους να αναγνωρίσουν επειγόντως και πλήρως το δικαίωμα στην αντίρρηση συνείδησης στη στρατιωτική θητεία, σύμφωνα με τα ευρωπαϊκά και διεθνή πρότυπα και συστάσεις.

 Βρυξελλες 18 Απριλίου 2013

Ο 30χρονος Έλληνας ιδεολογικός αντιρρησίας συνείδησης Μενέλαος Εξίογλου συνελήφθη σήμερα στο σπίτι του στη Θεσσαλονίκη με την κατηγορία της ανυποταξίας. Ο Μενέλαος Εξίογλου κλήθηκε για στρατιωτική θητεία τον Αύγουστο του 2010 και αρνήθηκε να υπηρετήσει τόσο την υποχρεωτική στρατιωτική θητεία όσο και την υποκατάστατη πολιτική υπηρεσία, η οποία παραμένει άκρως τιμωρητική και μεροληπτική εις βάρος των αντιρρησιών συνείδησης στην Ελλάδα.

On 15 April 2013 EBCO participated in the global day of action on military spending, by publishing a press release and organising an action in front of the Gre