press release

Joint Press Release

2/2/2023

International Organizations Call For Actions at the Belarusian Embassies on the 20^th of February to Protest Against a Possible Entry into the War in Ukraine by Belarus, and to Support Conscientious Objectors and Deserters.

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.

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.

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.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection publishes today its Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2021, covering the region of Council of Europe (CoE).

Ahead of the hearing before the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, of the cases of Charis Vasileiou and Nikolas Stefanidis, conscientious objectors to military service whose applications have been rejected by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Amnesty International, Connection e.V., the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and War Resisters’ International (WRI) call on the Greek authorities to annul the decisions of rejection and grant them a fair examin

Members of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) participated both in-person and remotely at the second IPB World Peace Congress “(Re) Imagine our World: Action for Peace and Justice” in Barcelona, on 15-17 October 2021.

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace 2021 on September 21^st, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) emphasizes that conscientious objection to military service is as well a basic human right as a tangible contribution to peace; it is a concrete act of rejecting war and violence, and promoting peace and universal human values.