JOINT PRESS RELEASE: Stop the raids and detention of conscripts in Moscow

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

Stop the raids and detention of conscripts in Moscow

3 June 2024

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), War Resisters’ International (WRI), the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), and Connection e.V. strongly condemn the raids, detentions and practices of forced recruitment carried out by the Russian authorities from 25^th to 27^th May in Moscow.

We urge the Russian authorities to fully respect the human right to conscientious objection to military service, which is inherent in the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, guaranteed under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and so is non-derogable even in a time of public emergency, as stated in Article 4(2) of ICCPR.

From 25^th to 27^th May 2024, in Moscow, police officers, with the participation of the Moscow draft board and the "Unified Draft Office," carried out raids and detained an estimated number of 40 to 60 men of draft age. Following their detention, the men, between ages of 18 to 30, were taken to the "Assembly Point" located at 3 Ugreshskaya Street, building 6.

The Moscow draft board, as well as the "Unified Draft Office," considered these individuals as conscripts subject to military service. Most of the detained individuals not only had conditions falling under category "B" (conditionally fit for military service), but also had submitted complaints (lawsuits) to the Moscow draft commission or courts, requesting preliminary protective measures.

The procedure for conscription was grossly violated by the staff of the "Assembly Point," as well as the constitutional right of citizens to judicial protection of their rights and freedoms.

Conscripts were literally locked in the premises of the "Assembly Point," forcibly shaved, forcibly dressed in military uniforms, and were firmly informed that they now had the status of servicemen. Moreover, legal representatives, attorneys, and authorized representatives were not allowed into the territory of the "Assembly Point." Subsequently, some men were forcibly sent to the territory of the military unit "Mosrentgen", presumably to the territory of the 27^th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

Since the first day of the raids, the Movement of Conscientious Objectors (MCO) has been providing advisory assistance to conscripts and their parents. MCO said: “Our colleagues, lawyers, and attorneys working around the "Assembly Point" in Moscow”.

EBCO, WRI, Connection e.V. and IFOR stand in solidarity with conscientious objectors to military service in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and continue working on the #ObjectWarCampaign which supports and organises solidarity for conscientious objectors from these countries.

For a detailed report on the situation of conscientious objectors from Russia, as well as Ukraine and Belarus, see EBCO’s recently published Annual Report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2023/24”, which is available on the EBCO website (www.ebco-beoc.org).

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INTERVIEWS please contact:

Derek Brett, EBCO Chief Editor, derekubrett@gmail.com, mobile +41 77 444 4420

The Movement of Conscientious Objectors in Russia, Saša Belik, Director, director@stoparmy.org, and Artyom Klyga, Advocacy Manager, advocacy@stoparmy.org+4917641796280.

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The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) was founded in Brussels in 1979 as an umbrella structure for national associations of conscientious objectors in the European countries to promote the right to conscientious objection to preparations for, and participation in, war and any other type of military activity as a fundamental human right. EBCO enjoys participatory status with the Council of Europe since 1998 and is a member of its Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations since 2005. EBCO is entitled to lodge collective complaints concerning the European Social Charter of the Council of Europe since 2021. EBCO provides expertise and legal opinions to European and international institutions. EBCO publishes its annual report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe” which is also EBCO’s contribution to the annual report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament on the application by the Member States of its resolutions on conscientious objection and civilian service, as determined in the “Bandrés Molet & Bindi Resolution” of 1994. EBCO is a full member of the European Youth Forum since 1995.

War Resisters' International (WRI) was founded in London in 1921 as a global network of grassroots organisations, groups and individuals working together for a world without war. WRI remains committed to its founding declaration that 'War is a crime against humanity. I am therefore determined not to support any kind of war, and to strive for the removal of all causes of war'. Today WRI is a global pacifist and antimilitarist network with over 90 affiliated groups in 40 countries. WRI facilitates mutual support, by linking people together through publications, events and actions, initiating nonviolent campaigns that actively involve local groups and individuals, supporting those who oppose war and who challenge its causes, and promoting and educating people about pacifism and nonviolence. WRI runs three programmes of work that are important to the network: The Right to Refuse to Kill Programme, the Nonviolence Programme, and Countering the Militarisation of Youth.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) was founded in 1914 in response to the horrors of war in Europe, and has taken a consistent stance against war and its preparation throughout its history. Today IFOR has branches, groups, and affiliates in over 40 countries on all continents, while the International Secretariat is located in the Netherlands. IFOR’s membership includes adherents of all the major spiritual traditions as well as those who have other spiritual sources for their commitment to nonviolence. IFOR has observer and consultative status to the United Nations ECOSOC and UNESCO organisations. IFOR maintains permanent representatives in Geneva, New York and Vienna and at the UNESCO in Paris who regularly participate in conferences and meetings of UN bodies, providing testimony and expertise from different regional perspectives, promoting non-violent alternatives in the fields of human rights, development, and disarmament.

Connection e.V. was founded in 1993 as an association advocating a comprehensive right to conscientious objection at an international level. The organisation is based in Offenbach, Germany, and collaborates with groups opposing war, conscription and the military in Europe and beyond, extending to Türkiye, Israel, the U.S., Latin America and Africa. Connection e.V. demands that conscientious objectors from war regions should get asylum, and offers counseling and information to refugees and support for their self-organisation.