European Bureau for Conscientious Objection

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

18 January 2023

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, 21st September, Connection e.V., the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection and War Resisters' International are calling for a signature campaign for deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) visited Helsinki and co-organised a number of events with its member organisation in Finland, the Union of Conscientious Objectors (Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto - AKL), from 2^nd to 6^th September 2022.

In the press conference on Monday 5 September in Helsinki Central Library Oodi, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and the Union of Conscientious Objectors (AKL) will give the floor to conscientious objectors from the war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine, and call on European governments to provide human rights protection and asylum to all of them. Is there war resistance in Russia?

WHAT: Meeting for the press and decision-makers by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and The Union of Conscientious Objectors (AKL) in Helsinki Central Library Oodi and as a stream on September 5 10-11am.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) visited Ukraine from 15 to 20 of August 2022 and repeats its call on Russia to immediately end its war in Ukraine.

August 10^th 2022

Α free and open peace poetry online event, with conscientious objectors and activists reading peace poems for Ukraine and in solidarity with the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement / Український Рух Пацифістів, is co-organised by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and War Resisters' International (WRI) on Thursday 18 August 2022 at 19:00 CEST.

Ruslan Kotsaba's statement: "Good day, or evening for all who watch or hear me now. It happened that tomorrow it will be the next court hearing in my trial. In any case, will it end or not, will the prosecutor ask the court to imprison me or not, or put me under home arrest with electronic shackle on my leg, will the witnesses of prosecution come or not, in any case I would like to clarify my position. I am consistent pacifist. Yes, I will always criticize. I am a journalist, I am a pacifist, and I criticize our militarized government indeed, corrupted and irresponsible militarism.

In Ukraine, a trial against Ukrainian journalist, pacifist and conscientious objector Ruslan Kostaba will be held on Tuesday 19 July 2022, simply because he publicly expressed his pacifist views.

Dans un appel commun aux membres du Parlement européen et de l'Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe, une large alliance de la société civile demande aux gouvernements européens d'accorder la protection et l'asile aux objecteurs de conscience et aux déserteurs Russes et Biélorusses ainsi qu'Ukrainiens. Ils ont besoin d'une protection et d'un asile immédiats.

In a joint appeal to members of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a broad civil society alliance from 20 countries has called on the European governments to grant protection and asylum to Russian and Belarusian as well as Ukrainian conscientious objectors and deserters. They need immediate protection and asylum.

Dear friends, thank you for giving peace a chance at this conference.