Russian pacifist, democratic, civil, and human rights movements are directly addressing the European Union, Commission, and Parliament to demand immediate and concrete measures to protect conscientious objectors and all those in Russia who refuse to participate in the war and seek asylum, because under the new repressive legislative measures, they are being persecuted, arrested, [and] imprisoned in Russia.
With the support of many international organizations, European and others, including EBCO/BEOC (European Bureau for Conscientious Objection), War Resisters’ International, and Nonviolent Movement, the Document, “Appeal to the European Commission and the European Parliament on Measures Needed for the International Protection of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian Conscientious Objectors, Defectors and those who have surrendered or have been captured,” was drafted, which our website publishes and disseminates.
FROM PACIFIST RUSSIA COMES AN URGENT AND CONCRETE REQUEST TO THE EUROPEAN UNION:
INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION TO RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN, AND BELARUSIAN CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS, DESERTERS AND THOSE WHO SURRENDERED OR WERE CAPTURED IN THE UKRAINIAN WAR.
From the beating heart of pacifist Russia comes a concrete call to the European Union, Commission and Parliament for international protection for conscientious objectors and all those who reject war, do not want to fight and seek political asylum.
Recent legal changes introduced by the Russian Federation have drastically undermined the rights for military personnel to object or defect, forcing them to participate in armed conflict against their will. New and increasingly stringent laws have created mechanisms favorable to the Russian regime to persecute its own citizens who choose to object, flee, defect, or surrender in the war to invade Ukraine. Russia has in place extrajudicial temporary restrictions on exit from the country for conscripts, confiscation of foreign passports from citizens called to military service, and a ban on driving vehicles, registering property, or making financial transactions for those who fail to report to the military registration office. Many young Russians opposed to the war would like to leave, but leaving Russia and traveling to safer countries is an extremely complicated process: land borders with EU countries are effectively closed and the simplified visa procedure has been abolished.
The Russian Conscientious Objectors Movement appeals to EU governments to adopt a common approach to provide international protection for Russian citizens who are under threat of prosecution or are being prosecuted for exercising their right to conscientious objection to military service, and also for all those who have declared their refusal to participate in combat operations, to carry out orders related to combat operations in Ukraine, have left their place of service and are under threat of prosecution or are being prosecuted for this.
The document titled “Appeal to the European Commission and the European Parliament on Measures Needed for the International Protection of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian Conscientious Objectors, Defectors, and Those Who Surrendered or Were Captured” directly addresses the European Parliament and the European Commission, asking them to create special working and contact groups where, with the participation of Russian humanitarian and human rights groups against war, they can develop concrete steps and solutions to implement the points outlined in our appeal.
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Together with the international networks, EBCO/BEOC (European Bureau of Conscientious Objection) and War Resisters’ International, many Russian and other associations from other countries, not only European, have signed the document. The Nonviolent Movement is among the signatories, supporting and disseminating the text in Italy.
In particular, the Movimento nonviolento (Nonviolent Movement) directly appeals to the Italian government, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Parliament, and the Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, so that the measures demanded by the international pacifist organizations be adopted immediately. With a simple decree-law, in twenty-four hours it is possible to give a positive response and save the lives and freedom of those who oppose and escape the madness of war.
