"OBJECT WAR CAMPAIGN" LAUNCH : Petition to support Conscientious Objectors and Deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

Traducción Española

Traduction française

PRESS RELEASE

21 September 2022

"OBJECT WAR CAMPAIGN" LAUNCH : Petition to support Conscientious Objectors and Deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, 21st September, Connection e.V., the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the European Office for Conscientious Objection and War Resisters' International are calling for a signature campaign for 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, had called on Russian soldiers to desert and promised them protection under refugee law. So far, this promise has not been fulfilled. 

Within the scope of #ObjectWarCampaign, a petition has been prepared for everyone to sign in. The petition is 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. The petition emphasizes the need to uphold the right to asylum to conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine by hosting states. The petition launched on the WeMove.eu website can now be signed in German, English, French, Italian and Greek.

There are an estimated 100,000 Russian military draftees and deserters refusing the war of aggression. 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 is fully guaranteed in Ukraine.

The petition signatures  are a crucial sign 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.

Every recruit can be a conscientious objector, every soldier a deserter. Let's support those who refuse to kill and end war together! 

#ObjectWarCampaign
#StandWithObjectors

The launch of the petition has been anticipated by an appeal sent in June 2022, to the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe -supported by 60 organizations from 20 countries - 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. 

More information: 
The appeal to the European institutions can be found here.
Background information can be found here.

Contact and interview requests:
Zaira Zafarana, International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), zaira.zafarana@ifor.org, www.ifor.org (English, Italian)
Rudi Friedrich, Connection e.V., +496982375534, office@Connection-eV.org, www.Connection-eV.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), +32477268893, ebco.brussels@skynet.be, www.ebco-beoc.org (French, Dutch, Italian, English)

📌 Share more on social media at https://www.facebook.com/InternationalFellowshipofReconciliation/photos/a.1751009778444220/3294203917458124/

📌 SIGN IT! https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/russia-belarus-ukraine-protection-and-asylum-for-deserters-and-conscientious-objectors-to-military-service

Mir Italy, FOR USA and FOR India have published 3 open letters regarding Finland and Sweden applying for NATO membership.

Cari amici in Finlandia e Svezia – Dear friends in Finland and Sweden

Lettera aperta del MIR Italia sull’entrata di Finlandia e Svezia nella NATO

Read the Italian version here.

Open letter by MIR Italy on Finland and Sweden applying for NATO membership

Dear friends in Finland and Sweden and all Europe,

Every day is a day of war in different areas of the planet, and no change is foreseen anywhere near, as a logic of war, confrontation and enmity is dominant among States.
Evidence of this is the increasing military expenditure linked to the production and trade of weapons.

The terrible war in Ukraine, instead of decreasing, is escalating with the direct involvement of the Atlantic Alliance States, to the point of risking a world conflict with nuclear weapons.
Developments in Russia’s aggression in Ukraine have caused the Swedish and Finnish governments to consider applying for NATO membership. We understand the concern and fear of being a target for possible war action.

We see the choice to join NATO as dangerous for peace in Europe, first of all because it increases military confrontation in the region and strengthens an alliance for war, instead of advocating de-escalation and a change of register that privileges alliances and dialogues for peace.
Europe has been torn apart by the World Wars and the European Union was born with the purpose of creating a ‘union’ to build peace and support and safeguard coexistence between peoples.
Strengthening military alliances means giving the force of arms predominance in the relations between states.
We should work for peace, with alliances for peace.
If Finland’s and Sweden’s neutrality fails, this could provoke a reaction from Russia in the context of an ever-expanding military alliance that was created in an anti-Russian perspective. The NATO membership of Sweden and Finland would strengthen the alliance that already includes 30 countries.

Unfortunately, Italy is a member of NATO and this means, among other things, the presence of military bases with personnel from other countries on our territory and the use of these bases for interventions in war zones in which we, as Italians, are not directly involved and do not want to be involved.
We are under pressure all the time to increase military spending and to comply with our treaty obligations.
It is a militarist commitment.
“Italy repudiates war as an instrument for the resolution of conflicts between states”; this is what is stated in Article 11 of our Constitution and it is what we loudly repeat all the time, even every time that unfortunately drones and military missions depart from bases on our territory. In addition, Italy, which through two referendums has rejected the nuclear option, finds itself unfortunately hosting around 70 nuclear bombs of others in these bases.

We, in Italy, do not feel more secure, on the contrary, we always feel fully involved every time a military aircraft takes off from the bases in Sigonella or Aviano or Ghedi, to name but a few.
All over Europe, including Italy, civil society organisations are mobilising to ask their governments to leave NATO, to abandon a military alignment that divides the world and is very often an enslavement to foreign powers.

We must stop this insane military escalation, insisting on peace negotiations, mediation and dialogue.
Non-violence is our lighthouse and history teaches us that a non-violent transformation of conflicts can be possible, so that the reasons for peace and the lives of the peoples involved prevail over nationalistic interests and logics.

We need new signs of peace, of openness to dialogue.
More weapons do not make the world safer, but closer to more easy deadly triggers.

Your history of neutrality is important; we need an ‘active neutrality’ that contributes to de-escalation and mediation and that strengthens multilateralism, to change course from the current ruinous path where the logic of violence prevails.

Our appeal, our Finnish and Swedish friends, is for the war to cease, for your peoples not to be involved and for lives to be spared, and for us all to work together to ‘build peace’, with instruments of peace, otherwise it will never be peace.

For we ‘peoples of the United Nations are determined to save future generations from the scourge of war’, but also and especially now, the present generation.
Let us continue together to work for peace and urge our governments to a real constructive commitment to peace, under the banner of multilateralism, while also supporting the full implementation of the UN’s purpose, ‘to maintain international peace and security’.

In fellowship with all of you.

---

On Sweden Joining NATO: A Letter from FOR-USA to SweFOR

By FORUSA

Dear sisters and brothers in the Sweden FOR,

Our hearts break for you and your country. Sweden’s expected application to join NATO is a devastating blow for our shared global peace movement. Sweden’s 200 years of stated neutrality and military non-alignment have long offered a sign that nation-states can play a critical role as well.  

We join the Sweden Fellowship of Reconciliation in appealing to Sweden (and Finland) to remain neutral, alongside Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Malta. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine is illegitimate and indefensible, but must be countered and resolved through negotiations and mediation – something Sweden is best placed to support if it remains neutral. President Vladimir Putin has made a giant miscalculation and the Russian war machine is overextended, beleaguered, and unable to manage an endless conflict. If a face-saving way out is not negotiated, it becomes more likely that Putin will resort to Russia’s arsenal of 6,257 nuclear warheads. In such a fearful instance, there is nothing that NATO can do to save Sweden or Europe.

SweFOR, upon its founding in 1919, carried further Sweden’s proclivity for global community when it joined the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) “to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence in the world, while advancing the pacific management of conflicts and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.” While we recognize your nation’s longstanding reputation as a leader in preventing war has been damaged by its recent role as a major international source of arms production and sales, nevertheless the Swedish government’s significant funding of global human rights NGOs, including SweFOR, is testimony to its continuing constructive leadership. We believe that will be irreversibly damaged should Sweden join NATO.

Indeed, we honor Sweden’s historic efforts to strengthen international decision-making bodies, such as the 1953 appointment of Dag Hammarskjold as the United Nation’s second Secretary-General. Succeeding Trygve Lie of Norway in that role, Hammarskjold helped model peace-building diplomacy rooted in common decency and trustworthiness. These iconic leaders paved the way for generations of Scandinavians to be welcomed at innumerable negotiations tables worldwide. Today, with the UN’s reputation severely tarnished (particularly due to its corrupted so-called Security Council) and the prospect of both Finland and Sweden joining NATO, there is a foreboding sense that the values of multilateralism and inclusivity have been eliminated.

We recognize that our perspective at FOR-USA is offered from the vantage point of a country with limited moral authority. Our nation was founded on the dual genocides of its Indigenous peoples and of enslaved Africans, and for centuries the capitalist and imperialist policies of the U.S. government have led to the deaths, incarceration, and exploitation of countless millions at home and abroad. Despite boasting the greatest financial wealth in private hands and the most expensive military ever in human history, there are an estimated 140 million poor and low-wage people today in our nation. Nevertheless, as we recognize and resist our government’s relentless warmaking machine, with U.S. armed forces in control of at least 750 military bases in 80 countries – including five in Europe, which have nuclear weapons aimed at Russia alongside similar nuclear-strike capabilities of other NATO members – we urge Sweden to resist joining NATO, arguably the largest and most threatening military entity in the world.

Our world today needs to prioritize nonviolent solutions and alliances for peace, not greater investment in militarism. The best hope now is to focus on what is most important: saving lives. To achieve this, we urge Sweden to remain neutral and do what it often does best: diplomacy, by pushing for a cease-fire and finding a way for President Putin to extract himself from this unwinnable and untenable situation and its ominous end point of nuclear holocaust. Dismantlement of NATO towards a plan to achieve a common global security system and architecture should be part of this vision.

In deep peace, solidarity and fellowship,
Ethan Vesely-Flad and Anthony Nicotera
Interim Co-Executive Directors
U.S. Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR-USA)

---

OUR INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP – WE STAND WITH YOU SWEFOR AND HOPE SWEDEN WILL CONTINUE AS A NON-ALIGNED NATION

May 18th 2022

Message from FOR India

Our truths vary depending on our perspectives and geographical locations. The only one constant is that we believe in nonviolence as being the right and the most appropriate way and means to usher in change from power and dominance through militarisation which we see all around. Most of us live in societies where there is an assimilation of modernity and tradition in every aspect of our everyday life.

The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have challenged us to re-examine several of our beliefs in the capacity of the state to deal with supply chain and trade disruptions, energy interdependence and the future of warfare. We are forced to think about the limits of state sovereignty and the credibility of the United Nations Charter to protect nations' states.

Among the developed nations all over the world we are witnessing the backlash against globalisation which had mainly two forms - the economic and cultural. The unemployed and the poor in the developed world have begun to feel that they have no stake in the globalised system and demanded from their own governments why government policies benefited people from other parts of the world with what used to be ‘their jobs’. The growing inequality within their society made its way to a desire to go back to the security of the older and more familiar economic systems where each generation assumed that they would earn more and live better than their parents did.  

The cultural backlash derived from the same resentment and led to hostility towards foreigners and increasing sections of people in the developed world sought the comforts of traditional identity and ways of life. Globalisation brought in a new set of liberal politics, technocrats, trade agreements, cosmopolitans, immigration, secularism, and multiculturalism which suited a small section of society while the great majority of the society turned back to cultural rootedness, religious or ethnic identity and national authenticity as the way to their future.

Several leaders from the Americas and Europe have seized the opportunity to tap into both the economic and cultural backlash against globalisation and some of them have won their electoral battles and a few have come close enough to shift the national discourse. 

It is in this context we from our Asian part of the world see Sweden and Finland moving out of their space as nonaligned countries and moving towards the NATO military alliance. In our vulnerable world every action of the developed world whether it be trade sanctions or military alliances gives out a new message that no useful help can be expected from any country and that national interests is the choice over international cooperation. Britain leaving the EU, the US leaving the Paris climate agreement, President Trump pulling the US out of the WHO are some of the moves which took place which had an impact on the underdeveloped or developing world.

We from the Fellowship in India join the voice with Mir Italy and US FOR to urge the Swedish Government to continue as a nonaligned nation. The world must live and work together again and the idea of our common humanity made real. Sweden and Finland have a unique position in this effort. 

In fellowship,

Mathew George

FOR India   

Multilateralism and peace negotiations

We expect a genuine commitment to multilateralism and respect for fundamental international norms to be practised in a tangible way to achieve effective peace.
Weapons lead to war and increase it. Armed peace is not #peace.
International community should support peace negotiations and stop the war and let the UN to preside over the peace process.
!*! Urgent steps towards peace
In efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Secretary-General António Guterres has written separate letters to the leaders of #Russia and #Ukraine to request meetings with them in their respective capitals
Read more here https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1116562
On Tuesday, 26 April, the UN Secretary-General will have a working meeting and lunch with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and will be received by President Putin in Moscow.
Mr. Guterres will also travel to Ukraine and he will have a working meeting with Foreign Minister Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 28 April.
Read more here https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1116742

IFOR takes the floor at the UN Human Rights Council on war resisters and nuclear threat

IFOR is participating in the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council which started on February 28th and will conclude on April 1st.

On March 8th the High Commissioner addressed the plenary on current human rights situations and IFOR took the floor during the General Debate, after the members states, and delivered an oral statement with direct references to the current situation in Ukraine and highlighting other concerning situation such as the illegal practice of "batidas" to illegally recruit young people in Colombia.

---

Human Rights Council, 49th Session 

Geneva, 8th March 2022 

Item 2: General Debate with the High Commissioner on Human Rights 

Madame High Commissioner,  

International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR is extremely concerned about the deterioration of  human rights as a result of warfare including in Ukraine.  

We express our solidarity to all those who are suffering because of war. 

We plead to promote peace without increasing ongoing violence.  

The answer cannot be reduced to the alternative of suffering or waging war. 

The way forward is through international law, cooperation, disarmament and the establishment of civilian  peace corps, for instance.  

We support the right to refuse to kill and non-violent resistance to war, in Ukraine, in Russia and in all  countries, including the «No Means No» campaign in Belarus to support war resisters.  Violations of the right to conscientious objection to military service continue, including in Colombia,  where irregular recruitment practices -“batidas”- persist, [ignoring rulings from the Constitutional Court1,  recruitment regulations and compliance with the peace agreement].2 

We are concerned about violations of the right to Freedom of Expression and Assembly also for those  protesting against war. Over 13,000 protesters3have been detained in 147 Russian cities since February  24th.4 

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a non-derogable right and, as is freedom of expression, it  continues to apply in situations of armed conflict. 

We would also like to draw the attention of this Council to the nuclear threat. 

Nuclear deterrence does not maintain peace and security, it only brings terror and threat to humanity. The Right to Life is “the supreme right from which no derogation is permitted”5; [the UN Human Rights  Committee6stated that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is incompatible with the Right to Life and  may amount to a crime under international law].  

IFOR urgently calls on all Member States to ratify and implement the UN nuclear ban treaty [Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons]7. 

---

1 Sentence C-879/11 - Measures to compel those who have not complied with the obligation to register in order to define their military situation - They  cannot consist of arbitrary detentions that violate personal liberty or judicial confidentiality. 

2 Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General,  37th session, 26 February-23 March 2018. National, regional and international human rights law stipulates that military forces are not responsible for citizen  security, the fight against organised crime, coexistence and development. In exceptional situations, the National Police may require military assistance,  which must be provided in accordance with the principle of police primacy and with strict civilian control. The tasks of coexistence and development are the  exclusive responsibility of the civilian authorities". 

3 As of March 6th. 

4 According to OVD-Info data. https://ovd.news/news/2022/03/02/russian-protests-against-war-ukraine-chronicle-events  5 Parag. 2 of General Comment n. 36 of the Human Rights Committee. 

6 General Comment No. 36 (2018) on art. 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on the right to life. 7 entered into force last January 22nd 2021.

---

Click here to watch IFOR Main representative at the UN, Ms. Zaira Zafarana, delivering the statement at the Human Rights Council.

Click here to download the official statement.

To watch live or recorded the Human Rights Council you can click here.

---

Click here to read the public statement released by IFOR and its branches on the current situation in Ukraine.

IFOR addresses the UN Human Rights Council on the right to refuse to kill

On March 10th, on the occasion of the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council, IFOR participated in the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion or belief, Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, and addressed the issue of the right to conscientious objection to military service in the plenary.

The statement has been co-sponsored by War Resisters' International and referred as well to the concerning situation of armed conflicts.

---

Human Rights Council, 49th Session 

Geneva, 10th March 2022 

Item 2: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion or belief Joint oral statement delivered by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. 

Mr. President, 

We thank the Special Rapporteur for His report1 and share the same concern for the violation of the right to  conscientious objection to military service of objectors from religious or belief minorities. We are aware of two Jehovah’s Witnesses currently imprisoned as conscientious objectors in South Korea.2 There  are twenty others imprisoned in Eritrea3 where there is a system of indefinite National Service. Last year we had the case of Ukrainian protestant conscientious objectors in the Rivne region whose right has  been violated.4 

Violations of the right to conscientious objection to military service continue in many countries. In Colombia, young people are recruited by the official army through arbitrary detentions [batidas], although the  Constitutional Court has forbidden it in 2011.5 

Conscientious objectors continue to be imprisoned in various countries, such as Turkmenistan6, Singapore7,  Eritrea8, Tajikistan9, Israel10. 

In Turkey, Eritrea and Singapore the right is not recognized. Turkish objectors are facing a situation of “civil  death”.11 

As highlighted by the SR in His report, we are deeply alarmed by the violation of this right in situations of armed  conflicts. 

Ukraine compels all males of age 18-60 to take arms and fight in the current war; on the other side we witness  the arresting of thousands of anti-war Russian citizens, and we hear that not only contract soldiers, but also  ordinary conscripts are employed in the war.12 

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a non-derogable right, like freedom of expression, and it continues  to apply regardless of a situation of armed conflict. 

We urge all member States to release all imprisoned conscientious objectors and respect international standards  [for the exercise of the right to conscientious objection]. 

---

1 A/HRC/49/44https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session49/Documents/A_HRC_49_44_AdvanceUneditedVersion.docx

2 https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/south-korea/jehovahs-witnesses-in-prison/ 

3 As of March 2022. https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/eritrea/jehovahs-witnesses-in-prison/ 

4 Parag. 79 of the thirty-first report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the human rights situation in  Ukraine (1 August 2020 to 31 January 2021), based on the work of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/UA/31stReportUkraine-en.pdf 

5 Sentence C-879/11 - Measures to compel those who have not complied with the obligation to register in order to define their military situation - They  cannot consist of arbitrary detentions that violate personal liberty or judicial confidentiality. 

6 https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2025552.html. 

7 https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/singapore/jehovahs-witnesses-in-prison/. 

8 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=26439&LangID=E. 

9 https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2629. 

10 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-conscientious-objector-released-from-military-prison/ 

https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2fCCPR%2fCSS%2fISR%2f47719&Lang=en 11 The situation of conscientious objectors is defined as “civil death” by European Court of Human Rights. (Ulke v. Turkey, application no. 39437/98). 12 https://takiedela.ru/news/2022/02/24/komitet-soldatskikh-materey/ 

https://mobile.twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1501567647741358082 

https://www.interfax.ru/world/827191

---

Click here to download the official statement.

To watch live or recorded the Human Rights Council you can click here.

Click here to watch IFOR Main representative at the UN, Ms. Zaira Zafarana, delivering the statement at the Human Rights Council.

IFOR joins "Appeal for Peace in Ukraine" at the UN

On February 28th the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council started its working session and on March 3rd and 4th an Urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, stemming from the Russian aggression.

You can watch here the plenary meeting of the mentioned urgent debate with the interventions of member states and NGOs.

On March 8th, during the General Debate with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Madam Bachelet, IFOR joined 20 other NGOs in an "Appeal for Peace in Ukraine", delivered by the Associazione Papa Giovanni XXIII.

---

49th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, 28 February – 1 April 2022 Item 2: General Debate with the High Commissioner on Human Rights  Joint Oral statement delivered by: Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23) Co-signing NGOs1:  

Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23); Association Points-Cœur; AVSI  Foundation; Baptist World Alliance (BWA); Center for Global Nonkilling; Confédération  Internationale Société de Saint Vincent de Paul; Conscience and Peace Tax International  (CPTI); Dominicans for Justice and Peace (Order of Preachers); Dominican Leadership  Conference; Edmund Rice International; Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture;  ICMICA-MIIC Pax Romana; International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE); International  fellowship of Reconciliation – IFOR; International Organization for the Right to Education  and freedom of Education (OIDEL); International Volunteerism Organization for Women  Education and Development (VIDES International); Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice  (IIMA); MIAMSI; Mouvement contre le Racism et pour l’Amitiéentre les Peuples (MRAP);  New Humanity. 

“Appeal for Peace in Ukraine” 

Madam High Commissioner,  

I speak on behalf of 20 NGOs to express our extreme dismay at the military action that is currently  unfolding in Ukraine. We would like to echo your appeal2 of February 24 that urges an immediate halt to  hostilities that puts countless civilian lives at risk.  

We bring into this room the voice of the defenceless victims of conflicts, whose human rights are being  violated. 

We would like to recall the 2016 Declaration on the Right to Peace3 that affirms “Everyone has the right  to enjoy peace such that all human rights are promoted and protected and development is fully realized.” 

We believe that a process of disarmament is needed in order to guarantee peace. All countries involved in  the security architecture of Europe must commit to the reduction of strategic and non-strategic nuclear  weapons stored in the continent. Moreover, the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should be  signed and implemented by all States.  

We appeal to the UN, the international community, all parties to strive for an end to the fighting in Ukraine  by enforcing international law and finding a solution to the conflict based on the principle of peaceful  settlement of disputes. 

“War is a “scourge”… It is an adventure without return that compromises humanity's present and threatens  its future… War is always a defeat for humanity”4 

No one has the right to make a war, yet we all have the duty to build peace. 

Thank You! 

---

1 NGOs not accredited to ECOSOC supporting this statement: 1. Japan Committee for the Right to Peace 2 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=28153&LangID=E 

3 A/RES/71/189 

4 Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraph 497

---

Click here to download the official statement.

To watch live or recorded the Human Rights Council you can click here.

NO TO WAR! IFOR voice for peace

-scroll down to read several statements from the fellowship worldwide-

NO TO WAR!

IFOR statement on the current situation in Ukraine

February, 28th 2022

You can download the entire statement here.

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation expresses its very strong concerns and deep sadness about the invasion and occupation being conducted by Russia in Ukraine.

These are dark days in history.

War is a crime against humanity and can never be justified. It only leads to human suffering and

tears, and rips apart the societal structures that enable people to live in dignity.

The use, or preparation for use, of nuclear weapons is unconscionable.

Therefore, IFOR:

▪ Stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and supports the efforts of Russians who are

protesting against this war.

▪ Urges an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Ukraine.

▪ Stands up for conscientious objection, the right to refuse to kill, to reject violence and to

repudiate bearing arms in both (and all) countries.

▪ Urges all governments and multilateral organisations to choose diplomatic and political means to address the situation.

▪ Encourages the Ukrainian government and people to choose persistent nonviolent resistance.

▪ Calls on European people and nations to welcome refugees from Ukraine.

▪ Encourages the Russian people to non-violently resist the war policy and actions of their

government.

▪ Calls on Russian religious leaders to disassociate themselves from the aggressive and bellicose

policy of the Russian government, to recover the peaceful intentions of those religions, and to

actively engage with peace initiatives and diplomacy.

▪ Invites people of faith, spirituality and conscience to direct their prayers and actions to stopping the war and sustaining peace in the region.

---

NON A LA GUERRE !

Déclaration de l'IFOR sur la situation actuelle en Ukraine

Le Mouvement international de la Réconciliation exprime ses très fortes préoccupations et sa

profonde tristesse face à l'invasion et l'occupation menées par la Russie en Ukraine.

Ce sont des jours sombres de l'histoire.

La guerre est un crime contre l'humanité et ne peut jamais être justifiée. Elle ne fait qu'engendrer des souffrances humaines et des larmes, et elle détruit les infrastructures qui permettent aux gens de vivre dans la dignité.

L'utilisation, ou la préparation à l'utilisation, d'armes nucléaires est inadmissible.

Par conséquent, le MIR:

▪ Est solidaire du peuple ukrainien et soutient les efforts des Russes qui protestent contre cette

guerre.

▪ Demande instamment un cessez-le-feu immédiat et le retrait des troupes russes d'Ukraine.

▪ Défend l'objection de conscience, le droit de refuser de tuer, de rejeter la violence et de refuser de porter des armes dans les deux pays (et dans tous les pays).

▪ Exhorte tous les gouvernements et les organisations multilatérales à choisir des moyens

diplomatiques et politiques pour faire face à la situation.

▪ Encourage le gouvernement et le peuple ukrainiens à opter pour une résistance non-violente dans la durée.

▪ Appelle les peuples et nations européens à accueillir les réfugiés d'Ukraine.

▪ Encourage le peuple russe à résister de manière non-violente à la politique et aux actions de guerre de son gouvernement.

▪ Appelle les chefs religieux russes à se dissocier de la politique agressive et belliqueuse du

gouvernement russe, à retrouver les intentions pacifiques de ces religions, et à s'engager

activement dans les initiatives de paix et la diplomatie.

▪ Invite les croyants à orienter leurs prières et leurs actions vers l'arrêt de la guerre et le maintien de la paix dans la région.

---

¡NO A LA GUERRA!

Declaración de IFOR sobre la situación actual en Ucrania

El Movimiento Internacional de Reconciliación expresa su gran preocupación y profunda tristeza por la invasión y ocupación que está llevando a cabo Rusia en Ucrania.

Estos son días oscuros en la historia.

La guerra es un crimen contra la humanidad y nunca puede justificarse. Sólo conduce al sufrimiento humano y al desgarro, y destroza las estructuras sociales que permiten a las personas vivir con dignidad.

El uso, o la preparación para el uso, de armas nucleares es inconcebible.

Por lo tanto, el MIR:

▪ Se solidariza con el pueblo de Ucrania y apoya los esfuerzos de los rusos que han protestado

contra esta guerra.

▪ Insta a un alto el fuego inmediato y a la retirada de las tropas rusas de Ucrania.

▪ Se posiciona a favor de la objeción de conciencia, el derecho a rechazar a matar, a rechazar la

violencia y a repudiar la portación de armas en ambos (y en todos los) países.

▪ Insta a todos los gobiernos y organizaciones multilaterales a que opten por medios diplomáticos y políticos para abordar la situación.

▪ Anima al gobierno y al pueblo ucraniano a optar por la resistencia no violenta persistente.

▪ Pide a los pueblos y naciones europeas que acojan a los refugiados de Ucrania.

▪ Anima al pueblo ruso a resistir de forma no violenta la política de guerra y las acciones de su

gobierno.

▪ Pide a los líderes religiosos rusos que se desvinculen de la política agresiva y belicosa del gobierno ruso, que recuperen las intenciones pacíficas de esas religiones y que se comprometan activamente con las iniciativas de paz y la diplomacia.

▪ Invita a las personas de fe, espiritualidad y conciencia a dirigir sus oraciones y acciones para

detener la guerra y mantener la paz en la región.

---

НЕТ ВОЙНЕ!

Заявление IFOR о текущей ситуации в Украине

Международное братство примирения выражает свою сильную озабоченность и глубокую печаль

по поводу вторжения и оккупации, осуществляемой Россией в Украине.

Это мрачные дни в истории.

Война является преступлением против человечества и никогда не может быть оправдана. Она

ведет только к человеческим страданиям и слезам и разрушает общественные структуры, которые

позволяют людям жить достойно.

Применение или подготовка к применению ядерного оружия недобросовестны.

Поэтому IFOR:

▪ Солидарна с народом Украины и поддерживает усилия россиян, протестующих против этой

войны.

▪ Призывает к немедленному прекращению огня и выводу российских войск из Украины.

▪ Выступает в защиту отказа от военной службы по соображениям совести и защищает право

не убивать, не отвергать насилие и не носить оружие в обеих (и во всех) странах.

▪ Призывает все правительства и многосторонние организации выбрать дипломатические и

политические средства для разрешения ситуации.

▪ Призывает украинское правительство и народ выбрать упорное ненасильственное

сопротивление.

▪ Призывает европейские народы и страны принять беженцев из Украины.

▪ Призывает российский народ к ненасильственному сопротивлению военной политике и

действиям своего правительства.

▪ Призывает российских религиозных лидеров отмежеваться от агрессивной и воинственной

политики российского правительства, восстановить мирные намерения этих религий и

активно участвовать в мирных инициативах и дипломатии.

▪ Призывает людей веры, духовности и совести направить свои молитвы и действия на

прекращение войны и поддержание мира в регионе.

В переводе с оригинала на английском языке.

---

НІ ВІЙНІ!

Заява IFOR щодо поточної ситуації в Україні

Міжнародне товариство примирення висловлює свою сильну стурбованість і глибокий сум з

приводу вторгнення та окупації, які Росія проводить в Україні.

Це темні дні в історії.

Війна є злочином проти людства і ніколи не може бути виправдана. Це призводить лише до

людських страждань і сліз і розриває соціальні структури, які дозволяють людям жити гідно.

Використання або підготовка до застосування ядерної зброї є нерозумним.

Тому IFOR:

▪ Солідарний з народом України та підтримує зусилля росіян, які протестували проти цієї

війни.

▪ Закликає до негайного припинення вогню та виведення російських військ з України.

▪ Відстоює відмову від совісті та захищає право відмовлятися вбивати, відмовлятися від

насильства та відмовлятися від носіння зброї в обох (і в усіх) країнах.

▪ Закликає всі уряди та багатосторонні організації обрати дипломатичні та політичні засоби

для вирішення ситуації.

▪ Заохочує український уряд і народ обирати наполегливий ненасильницький опір.

▪ Закликає європейських людей і народи вітати біженців з України.

▪ Заохочує російський народ до ненасильницького опору політиці війни та діям свого уряду.

▪ Закликає російських релігійних лідерів відмежуватися від агресивної та войовничої

політики російського уряду, відновити мирні наміри цих релігій та активно брати участь у

мирних ініціативах та дипломатії.

▪ Запрошує людей віри, духовності та совісті направити свої молитви та дії на припинення

війни та підтримання миру в регіоні.

Переклад з оригіналу англійською.

---

IFOR’S AFRICAN BGAs CALL FOR NON-VIOLENCE, PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

Brazzaville and Harare, March 20th 2022

We, African Branches, Groups and Affiliates (BGAs) of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR):

Are deeply concerned about the current war situation between Russia and Ukraine, and greatly saddened by so much unnecessary suffering and destruction of infrastructure and the environment necessary for the well-being of the people;

Reaffirm our commitment to participate in the promotion of justice and peace through active non-violence, to denounce and resist any recourse to war, armed conflict and other forms of violence as a means of resolving conflicts between individuals, groups, international, national or social conflicts;

Let us say that this denunciation and resistance also concern everything that tends to make possible, or to justify war, armed conflict and all other forms of violence ;

Therefore, we:

1- Condemn firmly the war between Russia and Ukraine, but also all the wars and armed conflicts in progress in the world and in particular in Africa, where some of them have been taking place in the eyes of the world for several years ;

2- Tribute to all the victims of this current war on European soil, as well as to the victims of wars and armed conflicts in other regions of the world;

3- Consider that the root causes of the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as those of other wars or armed conflicts in the world, are multifaceted, complex and interdependent, that no conflict can be definitively resolved by violence, and that security and peace in Europe are necessary, but can only be sustainable within the global framework of security and peace among all the peoples and nations of our "common home" the Earth;

4- Recall that the life of each person is a unique and priceless gift of God, and call on all parties involved in armed confrontations around the world, and especially in the war between Russia and Ukraine:

-to observe immediate cease-fires in order to preserve human lives and the environment from the madness of destruction, and to promote the peaceful or non-violent resolution of conflicts through the process of negotiation and dialogue, the only credible way to silence the weapons definitively in the zones in conflict and to achieve the necessary and possible mutual reconciliation;

- to urgently create and respect humanitarian corridors in order to alleviate the suffering of populations trapped in combat zones, to allow people who want to leave combat zones or countries at war to do so, so that they can be received with humanity in other countries, and particularly in the current circumstances of the situation in Ukraine that the countries of Europe put in place policies and plans that provide adequate and equal protection to all such persons fleeing war, regardless of nationality, citizenship, affinity, race, religion, in accordance with international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and good practice;

- to respect and fully implement the right to conscientious objection, including the right to refuse to kill, to reject violence and to refuse to bear arms in both Russia and Ukraine, and in all countries, as guaranteed by international human rights treaties;

5- Exhort all leaders of states, multinational organizations and all citizens of the world:

-to refrain from any declaration, measure, training, supply of weapons, ammunition or fighters, as they are likely to "add fuel to the fire" by escalating and expanding the war between Russia and Ukraine over the entire world threatened by nuclear or biological weapons, as well as these activities in support of the war promote the regionalization and aggravation of other armed conflicts in many countries around the world;

- to work resolutely together for the implementation of disarmament and demilitarization policies on an international scale, so that the funds from military and arms spending are directed towards the improvement of living conditions and the integral development of a greater number of people and communities in the world

-to redefine the foundations of a new world order based on structures that are capable of preventing and resolving conflicts between states or groups more effectively and of putting an end to wars, and that promote more justice and peace in international relations and among peoples;

6- Local and international media, users of social networks and instant messaging services should be encouraged to freely and responsibly cover the various crises around the world, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, and to share information, photos, and videos, with the ethic of refraining from being instruments of propaganda contributing to violence, division, hatred, and vengeance, and instead be vehicles for the promotion of dialogue, the search for and the consolidation of peace, and reconciliation

7- Call upon all believers, women and men of good will, to their responsibilities, and invite them to direct their prayers and actions towards stopping the war between Russia and Ukraine, and in other conflict zones, so that peace and justice may be restored everywhere in the world and that no creature of God may lose hope.

8- Let's offer the availability and the centennial experience of IFOR to mediation and to accompany reconciliation processes in societies and communities crossed by wars or violent conflicts.

Jean Pierre MASSAMBA                                                   Apostle PHIRI

(Congo)                                                                      (Zimbabwe)

                                                                                      *Members of the IFOR Representative Consultative Committee, appointed for the Africa region 

---

APPEL DES BGAs AFRICAINES DE L’IFOR

A LA NON-VIOLENCE, LA PAIX ET LA RECONCILIATION

Brazzaville et Harare, 20 mars 2022

Nous, Branches, Groupes et Affiliés (BGAs) Africaines du Mouvement International de la Réconciliation (MIR) :

Sommes fortement préoccupés par la situation de guerre actuelle entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, et grandement attristés par tant de souffrances inutiles et de destructions d’infrastructures et de l’environnement nécessaires au bien-être des populations;

Réaffirmons notre engagement à participer à la promotion de la justice et de la paix par la non-violence active, à dénoncer et à résister à tout recours à la guerre, aux conflits armés et aux autres formes de violence comme moyen de résolution des conflits entre les personnes, les groupes, les conflits internationaux, nationaux ou sociaux ;

Disons que cette dénonciation et résistance concernent également tout ce qui tend à rendre possible, ou à justifier la guerre, le conflit armé et toutes les autres formes de violence ;

Par conséquent, nous:

1- Condamnons fermement la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, mais également  toutes les guerres et conflits armés en cours dans le monde et notamment en Afrique, où certains se déroulent aux yeux du monde depuis plusieurs années ;

2- Rendons hommages à toutes les victimes de cette guerre actuelle sur le sol européen, tout comme aux victimes des guerres et conflits armés dans d’autres régions du monde ;

3- Considérons que les causes profondes de la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, ainsi que celles d’autres guerres ou conflits armés dans le monde, sont multiformes, complexes et interdépendantes, qu’aucun conflit ne peut être réglé définitivement par la violence, et que la sécurité et la paix en Europe sont nécessaires, mais ne peuvent être durables que dans le cadre global de la sécurité et la paix entre tous les peuples et nations de notre « maison commune » la terre;

4- Rappelons  que la vie de chaque personne est un don unique et inestimable de Dieu, et demandons à toutes les parties impliquées dans des affrontements armés partout dans le monde, et notamment dans la guerre Russie et Ukraine :

-d’observer des cessez-le-feu immédiats afin de préserver les vies humaines et l’environnement de la folie des destructions, et favoriser la résolution pacifique ou non-violente des conflits par le processus de négociation et de dialogue, seul chemin crédible pour faire taire les armes définitivement dans les zones en conflit et parvenir à des nécessaires et possibles réconciliations mutuelles;

- de créer en urgence et de respecter les couloirs humanitaires afin de soulager les souffrances des populations coincées dans les zones de combat, permettre aux personnes qui veulent quitter les zones de combats ou les pays en guerre, de le faire, afin qu’elles soient accueillies avec humanité dans d’autres pays, et particulièrement dans les circonstances actuelles de la situation en Ukraine, que les pays d’Europe  mettent en place des politiques et plans qui font bénéficier une protection adéquate et égale à toutes ces personnes fuyant la guerre, sans distinction de leur nationalité, citoyenneté, affinité, race, religion, conformément au droit international humanitaire, au droit international des droits de l’homme et aux bonnes pratiques ;

- de respecter et de mettre pleinement en œuvre le droit à l'objection de conscience, notamment le droit de refuser de tuer, de rejeter la violence et de refuser de porter des armes dans ces deux pays, la Russie et l’Ukraine, et dans tous les pays, tels que garantis par les traités internationaux relatifs aux droits de l'Homme ;

5- Exhortons tous les dirigeants des États, des organisations multinationales et tous les citoyens du monde :

-à s’abstenir de toute déclaration, mesure, formation, fourniture d’armes, de munitions ou de combattants, car de nature à « mettre l’huile au feu» en entraînant l’escalade et l’élargissement de la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine sur le monde entier menacé par l’arme nucléaire ou biologique, de même que ces activités de soutien à la guerre favorisent la régionalisation et l’aggravation d’autres conflits armés dans de nombreux pays à travers le monde ;

- à œuvrer résolument ensemble pour la mise en place à l’échelle internationale, des politiques de désarmement et de démilitarisation, de telle manière que les fonds des dépenses militaires et en armement soient orientés vers l’amélioration des conditions de vie et le développement intégral d’un plus grand nombre de personnes et de communautés dans le monde;

-à redéfinir les bases d’un nouvel ordre mondial fondé sur des structures capables de prévenir et résoudre plus efficacement les conflits entre les États ou des groupes et de mettre fin aux guerres, et qui favorisent plus de justice et de paix dans les relations internationales et entre les peuples ;

6- Encourageons les médias locaux et internationaux, les utilisateurs des réseaux sociaux et services de messageries instantanés, à couvrir en toute liberté et responsabilité les différentes crises à travers le monde, dont la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, à partager des informations, photos, vidéos, dans l’éthique de s’interdire d’être des instruments de propagande contribuant à nourrir la violence, la division, la haine, la vengeance, et au contraire, être des vecteurs de la promotion du dialogue, de la recherche et la consolidation de la paix, de la réconciliation;

7- Interpellons tous les croyants, femmes et hommes de bonne volonté, sur leurs responsabilités, et les invitons à orienter leurs prières et leurs actions vers l'arrêt de la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine, et dans d’autres zones de conflits, afin que soient restaurées la paix et la justice partout dans le monde et qu’aucune créature de Dieu ne perde espérance.

8- Offrons la disponibilité et l’expérience centenaire de IFOR à des médiations et pour accompagner les processus de réconciliation dans des sociétés et communautés traversées par des guerres ou conflits violents.

"Click here to download the official statement"

---

VOICES FROM IFOR FELLOWSHIP

• FOR England and Scotland

• FOR USA

• MIR France

• MIR Italy

• Kerk en Vrede

• FOR Germany

• FOR Wales

• FOR Zimbabwe

• Adolfo Pérez Esquivel

*Click her to read about voices for peace from civil society worldwide

NO WAR! Voices for peace from civil society worldwide

Here you can see a compilation of different statements and voices from peace organizations around the world.

Say NO TO WAR!

-page constantly updated with new statements-

---

Photo from Russia: NO WAR

• Statement by the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement:

The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement condemns all military actions by the sides of Russia and Ukraine in the context of the current conflict.
We call the leadership of both states and military forces to step back and sit at the negotiation table. Peace in Ukraine and around the world can be achieved only in a non-violent way. War is a crime against humanity. Therefore, we are determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all causes of war.

---

Photo from Ukraine: PEACE!

• Statement by the Movement of Conscientious Objectors to Military Service in Russia:

What is happening in Ukraine is a war unleashed by Russia.
The Conscientious Objectors Movement condemns the Russian military aggression. And calls on Russia to stop the war.
The Conscientious Objectors Movement calls on the Russian soldiers not to participate in hostilities. Do not become war criminals. The Conscientious Objectors Movement calls on all recruits to refuse military service: apply for alternative civilian service, be exempted on medical grounds.

---

• French anti-militarists, pacifists, objectors, support objectors to the Russian Army

• Peace Commissioner of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) together with EAK and Connection: Grant protection and asylum to conscientious objectors and deserters from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus

• Statement of the European Humanist Federation (EHF): Russian deserters should be granted asylum

• "Asylum for those who refuse the war in Ukraine", Statement by the Finnish Union of conscientious objectors

• “No Means No”, Call to Belarusian Men to Refuse Recruitment to Fight for Russia in Ukraine, by "Nash Dom"

• Russia, Novaya Gazeta. newspaper against the war. Message from Nobel Prize-winning editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov
  "Early this morning we all gathered in the editorial office. We are in mourning.
  Our country, on the orders of President Putin, has started a war with Ukraine. And there is no one to stop the war. Therefore, along with grief, we feel shame.
  The commander-in-chief spins the "nuclear button" in his hands like a key ring on an expensive car. Is an atomic attack the next step? I cannot interpret Vladimir Putin's words on the weapon of retaliation in any other way.
  But we will publish this issue of Novaya Gazeta in two languages: Ukrainian and Russian. Because we do not recognise Ukraine as an enemy and the Ukrainian language as the language of the enemy. And we will never admit it.
  Last thing: only the anti-war movement of Russians can save life on this planet."
  Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

• Joint statement of ICAN with Dmitry Muratov, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Russian journalist, condemning Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons in Novaya Gazeta.

• 300 Russian NGO reps write to #Putin:
  "We oppose the military actions that our country carries out on the territory of Ukraine. All our work is the struggle for human dignity, saving lives."

• Russians are against the war on Ukraine!

• Feminist Antiwar Resistance

• Statement of the Soldier mothers of St. Petersburg

• An open letter of scientists and scientific journalists against the war in Ukraine

• Action by the Food Not Bombs group in Moscow

• An appeal for peace by a group of 233 clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church

• There are groups in Telegram through which you can follow the activities of anti-war activists in Russia (in Russian):

  • https://t.me/femagainstwar

  • https://t.me/vesna_democrat

  • https://t.me/msk_vesna

• On Facebook, conscientious objectors' organizations update quite actively:

  • https://www.facebook.com/stoparmy

  • https://www.facebook.com/netprizyvu

• On Twitter about the anti-war movement, e.g.:

  • https://twitter.com/OvdInfo

  • https://twitter.com/doxa_journal

  • https://twitter.com/SotaVision

  • https://twitter.com/loljanordic

---

• European Bureau for Conscientious Objectors - EBCO

• War Resisters International - WRI

• International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons - ICAN

• Pax Christi International

• International Peace Bureau - IPB

• "No war in Ukraine! No war anywhere!" by 31 organisations of the Service Civil International network

• "ICAN: Putin placing Russian nuclear weapons on high alert is reckless, dangerous"
  Japanese version: https://peaceboat.org/40596.html
  Italian version: https://senzatomica.it/senza-categoria/senzatomica-putin-che-mette-le-armi-nucleari-russe-in-massima-allerta-e-sconsiderato-e-pericoloso/

• ECCHR - European center for constitutional and human rights statement

• South Korea NGOs statement

• Pressenza

• ICBUW Statement on the war in Ukraine

• WCC acting general secretary to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow: “raise up your voice so that the war can be stopped”

• WCC appeals to Patriarch Kirill to raise up his voice for peace

• World BEYOND War supports efforts to organize public nonviolent actions

• GPPAC-Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict statement on Russia's war against Ukraine

• Nonviolence International calls for asylum for war resisters

• Pax Christi and other international NGOs join an appeal, at the Council of Europe, for peace, democracy, and action to resolve the war in Ukraine.

• War Resisters' International Statement: solidarity with all those nonviolently resisting the war in Ukraine

• Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC): Christians Say No War

• Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC): Christian Call for Peace

• War Resisters' International expresses solidarity with all those resisting war and its causes.

---

Team members of Napoli and Barcelona hold a banner that reads, "Stop War" during the UEFA Europa League Knockout Round Play-Offs Leg Two match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 24, 2022 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images)

Farmers in the German town of Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, created this XXL peace sign (120 meters) with their tractors. instagram.com/westfalenblatt / Moritz Winde

*Click here to read about IFOR voice for peace