IFOR has prepared and submitted to the UN two reports for the upcoming 39th session of the Universal Periodic Review of Greece and Tajikistan which will take place in Autumn.
Greece has a longstanding record of violations of the right to conscientious objection to military service and other human rights of conscientious objectors.
The new government has moved towards annulling recent positive amendments about conscientious objectors, such as the reduction of the length of alternative civilian service by the previous government.
In Greece alternative service is still punitive and discriminatory and there is a lack of independence and impartiality in the assessment of applications for conscientious objector status.
In Tajikistan the right to conscientious objection is still not recognized, although in 2004 the UN Human Rights Committee recommended that the State party should take all necessary measures to recognize the right of conscientious objectors to be exempted from military service.
All recorded conscientious objectors in Tajikistan are Jehovah's Witnesses and this religious minority is the only available source of information.
The submission addresses the issues of the right to conscientious objection to military service, arbitrary detention of conscientious objectors, the right of the child and underage recruitment.