PRESS RELEASE
January 23rd, 2026
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.
In answer to his appeals against the summon recently received at Christmas time, Yurii Sheliazhenko was sent a communication from a number of authorities,1 all stating in writing that there is not recognition of conscientious objection to military service in Ukraine in times of war. The Secretariat of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets replied to a related complaint, “mobilization by the State of Ukraine is the only necessary and urgent measure to prevent aggression by another state, during which the possibility of alternative service is excluded (since mobilization itself is aimed not simply at performing military service, but at protecting the Motherland from military invasion by another state). At the same time, the current legislation provides for the liability of persons guilty of violating the legislation on military duty and military service.”
This violates international standards and constitute a grievous violation of the right of those who refuse to serve in the military on ground of conscience. Indeed, good practices of provisions related to alternative service during armed conflicts can be traced in the history of other countries.2
Conscientious objection to military service is a human right inherent in article 18 of the ICCPR on freedom of thought, conscience and religion3 and art. 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
According to international human rights law and standards the right to conscientious objection applies both in wartime and in peacetime, as acknowledged by the Human Rights Committee.4 Article 4, paragraph 2, of the ICCPR does not permit any derogation from the obligations of a State Party concerning Article 18 on freedom of thought, conscience and religion even in time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation.5
According to reports of the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, several conscientious objectors in Ukraine have been already tortured and imprisoned.6
Violating the right to conscientious objection to military service can also undermine democratic principles that ensure survival of an inclusive society, rather than oppressing a portion of citizens who seek and support, for example, alternatives to warfare in order to establish peace and ensure the well-being of their community.
➢ We urge the Ukrainian authority to withdraw from persecuting conscientious objectors in the country and in particular Mr. Sheliazhenko who has been a publicly declared conscientious objector since 1998 and we urge the Government to stop criminalizing those exercising the human right to conscientious objection to military.
➢ We urge the Ukrainian authority to withdraw accusation of alleged “justification of Russian aggression” against Mr. Sheliazhenko7 because of his pacifist expressions, in which he called for nonviolent resistance to Russian aggression and condemned it along with all other wars; and to ensure his freedom of expression and rights are protected under Ukrainian laws, in line with international standards.
The case of Mr. Sheliazhenko has been previously included in a Communication by the Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.8 The case of Mr. Sheliazhenko, the communication of the Special Rapporteurs and the response of the Ukrainian authorities were highlighted also by the OHCHR, in its report concerning Conscientious objection to military service, and particularly in the chapter titled “Refrain from unduly restricting the human rights of those representing or advocating for the rights of conscientious objectors”.9 His case has been highlighted also in Amnesty International’s Annual Report
2023/2024.10
➢ We 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.
* Mr. Sheliazhenko is an academic, the executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement (member organization of the War resisters International funded in 1921) and a member of the board of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection11 and of World Beyond War.
1 Authorities including Mr. Stanislav Kulish -the Director of the Department for Monitoring the Observance of Rights in the Defence Sector and the Rights of Veterans and Military Personnel, Prisoners of War and Their Family Members in the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine-, Colonel Serhii Kalugin -Commander of the Pechersk District Territorial Conscription Centre in Kyiv City- and Mr. Taras Kovalchuk -Deputy Head of Third Investigative Division of the Territorial Directorate of the State Bureau of Investigations Situated in Kyiv City.
2 “Conscientious objection in time of war and other national emergencies”, EBCO 2024 annual report, pages 199-204. https://ebco-beoc.org/sites/ebco-
beoc.org/files/2025-06-05-EBCO_Annual_Report_2024.pdf
3 UN Human Rights Committee, Communication No. 1642‐1741/2007, Jeong et al. v. Republic of Korea (CCPR/C/101/D/1642‐1741/2007), 27 April 2011, para. 7.3. https://juris.ohchr.org/casedetails/1637/en-US
4 E.g. CCPR/CO/82/FIN, 2 December 2004, para. 14. http://undocs.org/CCPR/CO/82/FIN
5 See also: Amy Maguire, “Why banning men from leaving Ukraine violates their human rights”, The Conversation, 8 March 2022. https://theconversation.com/why-banning-men-from-leaving-ukraine-violates-their-human-rights-178411
And “Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, Public sector guidance sheet”.
https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/human-rights-and-anti-discrimination/human-rights-scrutiny/public-sector-guidance-sheets/right- freedom-thought-conscience-and-religion-or-belief#can-the-right-to-freedom-of-thought-conscience-and-religion-or-belief-be-limited
6 https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/42nd-periodic-report-human-rights-situation-ukraine-1-december-2024-31 (paras. 85, 86) https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/41st-periodic-report-human-rights-situation-ukraine-1-september-30 (paras. 90, 91) https://rm.coe.int/memorandum-on-human-rights-elements-for-peace-in-ukraine-by-michael-o-/1680b678ec (paras. 49, 50)
7 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” (https://www.civilni.media/235/). The statement contains, along with support for UN GA condemnation of Russian aggression, 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.
8 AL UKR 1/2023, 8 November 2023, p. 5-6. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28562
9 A/HRC/56/30, 23 April 2024, para. 45. https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/56/30
10 https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7200/2024/en/ p. 385.
11 https://ebco-beoc.org/ebcoboard
Signing organizations (in alphabetical order)
Agir pour la Paix – Belgium
Aktive Arbeitslose Österreich – Austria
Anglican Pacifist Fellowship Another Development Foundation Artist for Peace – Sweden Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto – Finland
Association of Conscientious Objectors – Greece
Associazione Nazionale Giuristi Democratici – Italy
Board of Green Alternative e.V.
BOCS Civilization Planning Foundation – Hungary
Bottna för Fred ( Bottna for Peace) – Sweden
Bund für Soziale Verteidigung (Federation for Social Defence)
Bundesvereinigung Opfer der NS-Militärjustiz e.V. (Federal Association of Victims of Nazi) – Germany
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – UK Center for Global Nonkilling
Center for Nonviolent Action, Lausanne – Switzerland
Center on Conscience & War – USA
Centre d’Estudis per la pau JM Delàs – Spain
Church and Peace e.V. (European Ecumenical Peace Network) Community of Christ British Isles Mission Centre
Connection e.V.
Conscientious Objection Initiative – Cyprus Conscientious Objection Watch – Turkiye Coordinamento Fiorentino contro il Riarmo – Italy
Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience
De Nieuwe Vredesbeweging – The Netherlands
Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft – Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen Frankfurt – Germany
DFG-VK – Germany
Dhesarme – Brazilian Action for Humanitarian Disarmament
DiEM25
European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) Falu FN-förenings styrelse – Sweden
Falu United Nations Assosiation
Folk mot DCA – Sweden
Forum Friedensethik in the Protestant Church of Baden – Germany
Forum Nord-Sud – Belgium Friedensinitiative Hersfeld-Rotenburg Friedenszentrum Braunschweig e.V.
Gewaltfrei Grün e.V. (non-violent green association) Global Veterans Peace Network
Halte aux guerres, halte à la guerre sociale – Belgium
Independent and Peaceful Australia network Institute of Peace and Law – Ukraine International Peace Bureau
Internationale der Kriegsdienstgegner*innen (IDK)
Internationaler Versöhnungsbund – österreichischer Zweig (Austrian branch of IFOR) Internationaler Versöhnungsbund e.V. (German branch of IFOR)
Iona Community
ISP VIENNA – AbFaNG – Austria
Kerk en Vrede – The Netherlands
La Acción Colectiva de Objetores y Objetoras de Conciencia (ACOOC) – Colombia
Lay Down Your Arms – Norway & Sweden
Le Cercle de libre Pensée – Kring voor het Vrije Denken (CLP-KVD) Lex Innocentium 21st Century – Ireland
Meeting of Friends of Ukraine
MERA25 – Italy
Mesarvot – Israel
MIR France (French branch of IFOR) Montreal for a World Beyond War
Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione – MIR Italy (Italian branch of IFOR) Movimento Nonviolento – Italy
Netzwerk Friedenssteuer e.V. – Germany
No to war – no to NATO
Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme – Cameroon
Observatorio de Militarismo
Our House – Belarus & Lithuania
Pax Christi England & Wales
Pax Christi Germany
Pax Christi Rhein-Main
Peace and Social Concerns committee of Ottawa Quakers
Post-Soviet Left
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland
Quaker Council for European Affairs
Quakers in Flanders
Re-Imagining New Communities
School of the Americas Watch in Chile (SOAW-Chile) SERAPAZ – México
Stop the War Coalition
STOP the War Coalition Philippines Stop Wapenhandel – The Netherlands Stoparmy Movement – Russia
Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO) Svenska fredskommitten Göteborg – Sweden
Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society – Sweden
Swedish Peace Committee
The Fellowship of Reconciliation England and Scotland
The Peace Committee of The Swedish Society of Friends – Sweden
The Peace Institute, Ljubljana – Slovenia The Peace Movement of Orust – Sweden Transnational Institute
Ukrainian Pacifist Movement
Vrede vzw (Belgian Peace organisation) – Belgium
Vredesactie – Belgium
Vredesbeweging Pais (Dutch section of War Resisters International) War Resisters International
Women Against Nuclear Power – Finland
Women for Peace – Finland Women for Peace – Finland World Beyond War
World Without War
