IFOR joins international press release on the case of pacifist journalist Ruslan Kotsaba

JOINT PRESS RELEASE by EBCO, IFOR, WRI and Connection e.V.

Drop all charges against Ruslan Kotsaba

18 July 2022

In Ukraine, a trial against Ukrainian journalist, pacifist and conscientious objector Ruslan Kostaba will be held on Tuesday 19 July 2022, simply because he publicly expressed his pacifist views.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), War Resisters’ International (WRI), the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and Connection e.V. (Germany) consider his case a clear politically motivated persecution, in violation of his rights to freedom of expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion, guaranteed under Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The organisations express their solidarity with Ruslan Kotsaba and urge the Ukrainian authorities to safeguard that all pacifists in Ukraine, including the activists of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, are able to freely express their opinions and continue their nonviolent activities.

The organisations also recall their strong condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and call on the soldiers not to participate in hostilities and on all recruits to refuse military service.

The Ukrainian government should safeguard the right to conscientious objection to military service, fully complying with the European and international standards, amongst others the standards set by the European Court of Human Rights.

Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe and needs to continue to respect the European Convention of Human Rights. As Ukraine becomes a candidate to join the European Union, it will need to respect the Human Rights as defined in the EU Treaty, and the jurisprudence of the EU Court of Justice, which include the right of conscientious objection.

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You can click here to download the statement as a PDF file.

Click here to watch Ruslan Kotsaba's statement recorded before the Court's hearing.

Contact persons:

• Zaira Zafarana, International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), zaira.zafarana@ifor.org, www.ifor.org (English, Italian)

• Rudi Friedrich, Connection e.V., +49 69 8237 5534, office@Connection-eV.org, www.ConnectioneV.org (German, English)

• Semih Sapmaz, War Resisters’ International (WRI), semih@wri-irg.org, www.wri-irg.org (English, Turkish)

• Sam Biesemans, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), +32 477 268893, ebco.brussels@skynet.be, www.ebco-beoc.org (French, Dutch, Italian, English)

Visit and share on Facebook!

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UPDATE

Next hearing for Ruslan Kotsaba's case is scheduled for September 4th 2022.

Here you can find a video message he recorded before His last hearing.
You can find more information here.

CALL TO ACTION!

International solidarity is very important.

There are several things which can be done, for instance:
- organize a public presence in front of the Ukrainian embassy with signs and then share pictures and/or release about it
- engage with politicians in your country to support Ruslan Kotsaba
- engage with media in your country to cover Ruslan's case
- send the published appeal or your own note to Honourable Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine,
Riznytska St, 13/15
Kyiv 01011
Ukraine
- share on social media and use hashtag #ConscientiousObjection #FreedomExpression; tag on Fb @peaceukraine (Ukrainian Pacifist Movement)

IFOR addresses SDGs 2030, civil disobedience and conscientious objection at the UN 46th HRC

International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR submitted the following statement to the ongoing 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

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Human Rights Council, 46th Session Geneva, 9th March 2021
Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights
Oral statement submitted by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Madam President,

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030)[1] are a universal call to action to protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. There are interconnections between all those goals and there is no way we can achieve them unless member States are willing to address injustice, social injustice, climate injustice and to stop wars.

We would like to highlight the concerning links between climate change, hunger, economic sanctions and exploitation, and armed conflicts.[2]

We hear of wars in too many places such as Syria, for instance, as well of violence against protesters such as in Myanmar, Hong Kong and Belarus.

Civil disobedience is a nonviolent tool to resist to violence and injustice; many groups around the world are engaging in nonviolent actions to ask their governments or regimes to respect and restore their human rights. Protesters cannot be shot.

We would also like to draw the attention of this Council to the protection of the right of those who refuse to kill which is still seriously lacking.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO)[3], highlighted in its annual report[4], that in 2020 conscientious objectors to military service continue to be persecuted and imprisoned in various countries.

In Turkey, Eritrea and Singapore, for instance, the right is not recognized. Turkish objectors are facing a situation of “civil death”[5] which excludes them from social, cultural and economic life.

[In other countries, like Turkmenistan, there is no alternative to compulsory military service[6]. 

In some countries where the right is formally recognized, like in Finland, Israel and Greece, the alternative service provided is often punitive in nature and the decision-making procedures are in contrast with the international standards.]

IFOR calls on all member States to protect the right to conscientious objection to military service in all countries. 

Thank you.

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[1] https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
[2] http://www.ifor.org/news/2020/5/19/ifor-open-letter-to-the-un-secretary-general.
[3] https://ebco-beoc.org/.
[4] EBCO’s annual report, covering the region of Council of Europe (CoE), is available at https://ebco-beoc.org/node/491.
[5] The situation of conscientious objectors is defined as “civil death” by European Court of Human Rights. (Ulke v. Turkey, application no. 39437/98).
[6] https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2025552.html.

You can download the complete statement here

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IFOR actively collaborates with EBCO which is the European network for groups and organizations dealing with conscientious objection. EBCO offers support to objectors and engages on advocacy initiatives within the Council of Europe.

IFOR provides assistance at the UN and is currently collaborating with the EBCO's board for related issues.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) was founded in 1979 as an umbrella organisation for national associations of conscientious objectors, with the aim of promoting collective campaigns for the release of the imprisoned conscientious objectors and lobbying the European governments and institutions for the full recognition of the right to conscientious objection to military service.

EBCO, on an yearly basis, releases an Annual Report on the situation of conscientious objection in the Council of Europe geographical area.

You can find details on the 2020 Annual Report here

IFOR has been closely involved in the redaction of such Reports in the past years as part of the ongoing IFOR project on conscientious objection funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust - JRCT.

You can find more information on EBCO here

Attack on the right to freedom of expression: the case of Ruslan Kotsaba, a Ukrainian anti-war pacifist journalist

On January 22nd 2021, pacifist journalist Ruslan Kotsaba was attacked near the Kolomyia City District Court of Ivano-Frankivsk Region, in Ukraine, as he was going to the hearing for the trial where he is charged for publications against the war. He published in 2015 a video titled “I refuse to mobilize”.

Read more about the case of this journalist by clicking here.

IFOR shares the deep concern expressed by EBCO - European Bureau for Conscientious Objection in its Press Release "UKRAINE: EBCO shocked by the continuation of prosecution and attacks against Ruslan Kotsaba. Criticism of the military is not a crime! Violence is a crime!", condemning the physical violence against the journalist who is under investigation for going public against the war. Read the Press Release by clicking here.

IFOR has already referred to this individual case in the statement delivered last December at the UN during a session of the Human Rights Council concerning the situation of human rights in Ukraine. Click here to read more.

We stand in solidarity with the victims of the violation of the right to freedom of expression in Ukraine and in any other country.

Reprisals and Violence against human rights defenders and peace activists should always be condemned.

Learn more by clicking here, about possible solidarity initiatives and to take action on this case.