More than a hundred NGOs from around the world are concerned with the coercion of an academic and conscientious objector Yurii Sheliazhenko to undergo military registration, the Free Civilians inform.
“The undersigned organizations express serious concern regarding the continued persecution of Ukrainian human rights defender Yurii Sheliazhenko, a conscientious objector to military service. He is currently under an alarming threat of being arrested and forcibly conscripted under Ukraine’s system of universal military registration, which is enforced through coercive measures including arbitrary detentions and forced transfers to conscription offices. Such practices effectively compel conscientious objectors to act against their beliefs and directly violate Article 18(2) of the ICCPR, which prohibits coercion impairing freedom of thought, conscience and religion” – says their joint press release, also emphasizing that, according to reports of the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, a number of conscientious objectors in Ukraine have been already tortured and imprisoned.
The press release is signed by major international networks, including War Resisters’ International, International Peace Bureau, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Connection e.V., World BEYOND War, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, Quaker Council for European Affairs, Pax Christi, Church and Peace, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, Iona Community, Center for Global Nonkilling, Transnational Institute, and others, as well as diverse faith communities and civil society organizations committed to peace and human rights from more than thirty countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States of America.
According to the press release, Yurii Sheliazhenko recently was summoned for compulsory military registration at Christmas time and, after his complaints, received communications from a number of authorities, including the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, State Bureau of Investigations, and Pechersk District Territorial Conscription Centre in Kyiv City, all stating in writing that there is no recognition of human right to conscientious objection to military service in Ukraine in times of war. The press-release points out that it “constitute a grievous violation” since the right to conscientious objection applies both in wartime and in peacetime according to Articles 4 and 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as acknowledged by the UN Human Rights Committee.
Also, the press release expresses concern that Mr. Sheliazhenko is charged under Article 436‐2 (2) of Criminal Code of Ukraine, that provides for punishments up to 5 years in prison and confiscation of property, for sending to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy a pacifist statement “Peace Agenda for Ukraine and the World”. The statement contains, along with support for condemnation of Russian aggression by the United Nations, calls to all parties of the armed conflict to respect rights of conscientious objectors, allow them to resist war non‐violently, and not demonize the enemy to a degree excluding any negotiations, that in view of prosecution allegedly “justify Russian aggression”. Yurii’s house was searched, his smartphone and computer seized in 2023, he was under house arrest till February 2024, with a trial ‐postponed numerous times ‐ continuing till today. The press release refers to reports about the case by the UN OHCHR and Amnesty International.
The organizations that signed the press release urge Ukrainian authorities to stop persecutions of conscientious objectors, ensure their rights and freedom of expression are protected under Ukrainian laws in line with international standards, and withdraw from persecuting Yurii Sheliazhenko for his conscientious objection and for alleged “justification of Russian aggression” in his pacifist expressions, in which he called for nonviolent resistance to Russian aggression and condemned it along with all other wars. They also call on the international community to exercise all proper actions to ensure that human rights defenders and peace activists are not criminalized for their actions for peace and nonviolence; moreover, that the right to conscientious objection is fully implemented in line with international standards and that conscientious objectors are provided with the necessary protection against persecution in their country of origin, also with asylum.