On the occasion of the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, four major peace
organizations — the International Support of Conscientious Objectors (Connection e.V.); the International Fellowship of Reconciliation; the European Office for Conscientious Objection; and War Resisters International — called for a signature campaign to support deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The #ObjectWarCampaign calls on all citizens from everywhere to join the global effort to ensure protection and asylum to conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine involved in the current war in the region. They are our hope to refuse war and let peace prevail.
On April 6, 2022, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called on Russian soldiers to desert and promised them protection under refugee law. So far, this promise has not been fulfilled.
The #ObjectWarCampaign has launched a petition addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; the President of the European Council, Charles Michel; and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, which emphasizes the need to uphold the right to asylum for conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine in hosting states. The petition launched on the WeMove.eu website can so far be signed in German, English, French, Italian, and Greek.
An estimated 100,000 Russian military draftees and deserters refusing the war of aggression, and more reaching the borders of Russia every day. An estimated 22,000 Belarusian military draftees have left their country because they don’t want to participate in the war in Ukraine. Everyone who has refused service risks several years of prosecution because of their stand against the war. They are hoping for protection in various countries.
Ukraine suspended the right to conscientious objection and closed the border for men between 18 and 60. Over 100,000 men have evaded war involvement in Ukraine and fled abroad. Currently, Ukrainian citizens have temporary residence in the European Union. The #ObjectWarCampaign petition demands that the right to conscientious objection to military service be fully guaranteed in Ukraine.
The petition signatures are a crucial sign of growing number of support for conscientious objectors and deserters. This campaign highlights the importance of opening borders to those who oppose the war at great personal risk in their countries, and calls on everyone around the world to support those who refuse to fight and kill.
The launch of the petition was anticipated by an appeal — by 60 organizations from 20 countries — sent in June 2022 to the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe detailing why protection and support for deserters and conscientious objectors on all sides of the Ukrainian war is necessary, and moreover that it is a human right. There have already been discussions about this in the European Parliament.
Every recruit can be a conscientious objector, and every soldier can be a deserter. Please support those who refuse to kill by signing the petition at https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/russia- belarus-ukraine-protection-and-asylum- for-deserters-and-conscientious-objectors- to-military-service.