This side event, organized by War Resisters’ International (WRI) during the Human Rights Council session, examined The Right to Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Times of War. Testimonies from objectors and human rights defenders from Ukraine, Israel, and Russia highlighted how states continue to criminalize and persecute those who refuse military service on grounds of conscience.
The discussion exposed systemic patterns of repression, the disproportionate impact on minorities, and the urgent need for stronger international protection mechanisms.
Ukraine
Andrii Konovalov shared his story of political persecution, describing how prosecutors sought a 40-year prison sentence against him, his house was raided, and he ultimately fled. He explained that even those exempted by law—such as priests with families—are being forced into military service, and many have died at the front line.
Reports show a dramatic escalation. First, complaints on mobilization abuses to the Ukrainian Ombudsman: 561 in 2023, 4,000 in 2024, and over 7,000 in 2025. Secondly, they announce new criminal offenses for desertion: 125,872 registered in the first half of 2025 alone. On top of that, authorities have also lowered the draft age and intensified searches, using drones, dogs, soldiers, and police to track down draft evaders.
Human rights defenders warn against the political misuse of these prosecutions. Religious minorities such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Adventists, Baptists, and Pentecostals have faced criminal cases for asserting conscientious objection, despite international human rights law protecting freedom of conscience.
Israel
At the panel, Tal Mitnick, an Israeli refusenik, spoke about the toll of military service on young reservists, highlighting the rise in suicides among his age group. He was imprisoned for refusing to serve. While the ultra-orthodox community (Haredim) often receive exemptions on the basis of religious study, Israel does not recognize conscientious objection for secular or political reasons. The government is under pressure to increase recruitment, and those refusing face imprisonment and social harassment. Mitnick himself reported harassment of his family, including the leaking of his home address and phone number.
This reflects broader patterns: Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli Jewish refuseniks are marginalized and prosecuted when refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories, while Haredim face ongoing political and judicial debates regarding their exemptions.
Russia
Video testimony by Elisei Karitono described his arrest, confiscation of phones, hours in detention, physical aggression, extortion, and ongoing prosecution in Moscow. He filed complaints, but no investigation was conducted.
Artem Klyga, another Russian objector, explained that Russia systematically violates the constitutional right to conscientious objection. He identified two main groups affected. First, the contract soldiers, especially those who tried to resign after February 24, 2022, faced systematic violence and torture, including beatings, humiliation, and being tied to trees or poles. Videos of such abuse circulate widely as a form of deterrence. Secondly, he referred to conscripts, officially serving one year, but since 2024 increasingly forced to sign contracts under coercion. Authorities claim conscripts are not sent to the front, but reports show they are systematically converted into contract soldiers and deployed.
Thousands of conscientious objectors have fled Russia and cannot return without risking imprisonment. Many lack valid documents due to their status as “foreign agents.” Cases of abduction by Russian military police have been reported in Armenia and Kazakhstan. A very small number have managed to secure travel documents and reach safety in Europe. There is an urgent need for stronger international support systems.
Minorities disproportionately affected in Russia include indigenous and ethnic groups from Siberia, the Arctic, and the North Caucasus (Buryats, Yakuts, Dagestanis, Chechens). These communities have been mobilized at higher rates, facing severe coercion and limited visibility in Russian society. Religious minorities such as Jehovah’s Witnesses also face persecution for pacifist beliefs.
Conclusion
In all three countries, the right to conscientious objection is not respected and, in wartime, repression intensifies.
Minorities, whether ethnic (indigenous groups in Russia), religious (Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and Ukraine, Haredim in Israel), or political (refuseniks, Palestinian citizens of Israel), bear a disproportionate burden.
International protection remains weak: asylum requests are often denied, objectors are at risk of deportation, and courts sometimes misinterpret the safety of return.
There is an urgent need for UN mechanisms and EU asylum systems to recognize conscientious objection as a valid ground for international protection, particularly where minorities are targeted.
Bibliography:
The Moscow Times. (2022, September 27). Ethnic Minorities Hit Hardest by Russia’s Mobilization, Activists Say. Retrieved from https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/09/27/ethnic-minorities-hit-hardest-by-russias-mobilization-activists-say-a78879
Times of Israel. (2024, July). Debate over conscription law hindering Haredi enlistment efforts, opposition MKs say. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.com/debate-over-conscription-law-hindering-haredi-enlistment-efforts-opposition-mks-say/
War Resisters’ International (WRI). (2024, May). Ukraine: About 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors. Retrieved from https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2024/ukraine-about-300-criminal-cases-against-conscientious-objectors
