Ukraine War – IPB – International Peace Bureau

Urgent Action: Free Conscientious Objector Yurii Sheliazhenko

Yurii Sheliazhenko, Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, IPB Council member, and a well-known conscientious objector, was detained by Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv on Thursday, March 19th. This action was taken without a proper legal basis and without compliance with the procedural safeguards required by Ukrainian law. It is a targeted human rights violation which IPB rejects completely.

Many of you have had the chance to hear Yurii speak in online events and read his work on the importance of conscientious objection and nonviolent resistance over his many years of work. Now is the moment to stand in solidarity with Yurii and demand that the Ukrainian authorities free him immediately.

We urge you to join us in demanding that the Ukrainian government drop the prosecution of Yurii by signing the petition to the Ukrainian government below.

Please Sign the peition Here

We also encourage you to contact the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) with a letter demanding they take action to secure Yurii’s freedom. A sample letter is below:

To: Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

To: Maria Telalian, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)

Subject: Protection for Ukrainian Human Rights Defender and Conscientious Objector Yurii Sheliazhenko

Dear Commissioner Türk, dear Director Telalian,

On Thursday, 19 March 2026, Ukrainian Human Rights Defender and Conscientious Objector Yurii Sheliazhenko was apprehended by Ukrainian officers of the Pechersk District Police in Kyiv without a proper legal basis and without compliance with the procedural safeguards required by Ukrainian law. The authorities presented no clear legal grounds for the deprivation of liberty and Yurii’s access to legal counsel was obstructed. We strongly suspect that Yurii is to be transferred to a Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) without due legal procedure.

Yurii is a well-known conscientious objector, which he has publicly declared since 1998. He is the Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, which has repeatedly been harassed by Ukrainian authorities in particular since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Since then, Yurii has been repeatedly targeted with threats of imprisonment on faulty charges and forced conscription.

It is well documented that the right to conscientious objection is a fundamental human right, as outlined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), based in the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This right has likewise been recognized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). It is important to emphasize that the right to conscientious objection is of most vital importance in active wars and conflicts.

Yurii’s case has been supported by a wide range of international and regional organizations, including Amnesty International, War Resisters International, European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Connection e.V., World Beyond War, and the International Peace Bureau (IPB). Our networks around the world are watching his case closely.

We strongly urge the United Nations and the OSCE to take urgent action to protect Yurii Sheliazhenko’s right to conscientious objection and freedom of speech in Ukraine. This may include, but is not limited to, opening investigations into the Ukrainian authorities’ violations of Yurii’s human rights, releasing public statements expressing concern for Yurii’s wellbeing, and emphasizing the inalienable right to conscientious objection and freedom of expression during war.

We count on your support to provide justice and accountability in Yurii’s case.

Further Actions to support Yurii:

Contact and write to your (and others) local Embassies in Ukraine:
Contact and write to the Ukrainian Embassy in your country: (this is a useful link https://mfa.gov.ua/en/diplomatic-missions/foreign-diplomatic-institutions-ukraine to search their contacts)
Contact political representatives in your country and in regional and international institutions
Contact the Kiev Police Department: police@kyiv.police.gov.ua, Tel. +380 44 254 94 88
Write to the Kiev Enlistment Office: pechersk_rvk@post.mil.gov.ua
Contact the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs: pgmia@mvs.gov.ua, Tel. +380 44 256 03 33
Contact the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense: admou@post.mil.gov.ua
Contact the Ukrainian Ombudsman: hotline@ombudsman.gov.ua, Tel. +380 44 253 75 89
Contact the State Bureau of Investigation: crime@dbr.gov.ua, Tel. +380 44 300 27 07
Inform the media
Share on your social media, political networks, etc.
Share with your contacts and invite other organizations, agencies, and institutions to take action
Support the “CO Alert” launched by War Resisters International

Ukraine needs peace! Stop the bloodshed!

The war in Ukraine is entering its fifth year. Since Russia invaded the country in violation of international law, death and destruction have reigned. NATO’s confrontational policies and its long-standing refusal to seek a lasting and peaceful solution through diplomatic channels have contributed to the loss of so many lives.

Demand the Immediate Release of Grzegorz Gawel

This petition calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish citizen unlawfully detained in Belarus. His imprisonment represents a clear violation of international human rights standards, including freedom of conscience, due process, and protection from arbitrary detention.

Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish Catholic monk and humanitarian, has been unlawfully detained in Belarus and recognized by human rights defenders as a political prisoner. He is being held incommunicado under fabricated espionage charges. We demand his immediate release and full respect for international human rights law.

Petition demands

Immediately and unconditionally release Grzegorz Gawel and drop all charges against him.
Guarantee immediate access to an independent lawyer and to representatives of the Polish consular services.
Disclose his place of detention and ensure independent medical supervision.
Cease the practice of forced confessions and propaganda broadcasts involving detainees.
End the misuse of “espionage” charges against religious figures, humanitarian workers and foreign nationals.
Respect international human rights obligations, including the ICCPR and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Why is this important?

We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Grzegorz Gawel, a Polish citizen, Catholic monk of the Carmelite Order, and a recognized political prisoner unlawfully detained in the Republic of Belarus.

Grzegorz Gawel was detained on 4 September 2025 by officers of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) and charged under Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (“Espionage”). These accusations are manifestly unfounded and politically motivated, and have been officially rejected by the Government of the Republic of Poland.

Belarusian human rights organizations, including Our House and the Viasna Human Rights Center, have recognized Grzegorz Gawel as a political prisoner.

Since his detention, he has been held incommunicado. His place of detention has not been officially disclosed. There is no confirmed access to an independent lawyer or to Polish consular representatives. No court hearings have been scheduled. State media have broadcast so-called “confession” videos characteristic of coercion and psychological pressure.

As a religious figure engaged in humanitarian and missionary work, Grzegorz Gawel is being persecuted for reasons related to his identity, beliefs, and the broader repressive policies of the Belarusian authorities toward foreign nationals, religious actors, and civil society.

Recipients

This petition is formally addressed to:

United Nations Human Rights Committee
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)

Copies of this petition are sent to:

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
European Union institutions responsible for human rights policy
Council of Europe bodies and monitoring mechanisms
Government of the Republic of Poland
Governments of democratic states

References

Full Article Here

Yurii Sheliazhenko*, Conscientious Objector to Military Service and Human Rights Defender, under Immediate Threat

JOINT PRESS RELEASE | 23 January 2026

The undersigned organizations express serious concern regarding the continued persecution of Ukrainian human rights defender Yurii Sheliazhenko, a conscientious objector to military service. He is currently under an alarming threat of being arrested and forcibly conscripted under Ukraine’s system of universal military registration, which is enforced through coercive measures including arbitrary detentions and forced transfers to conscription offices. Such practices effectively compel conscientious objectors to act against their beliefs and directly violate Article 18(2) of the ICCPR, which prohibits coercion impairing freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

In answer to his appeals against the summon recently received at Christmas time, Yurii Sheliazhenko was sent a communication from a number of authorities, all stating in writing that there is not recognition of conscientious objection to military service in Ukraine in times of war. The Secretariat of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets replied to a related complaint, “mobilization by the State of Ukraine is the only necessary and urgent measure to prevent aggression by another state, during which the possibility of alternative service is excluded (since mobilization itself is aimed not simply at performing military service, but at protecting the Motherland from military invasion by another state). At the same time, the current legislation provides for the liability of persons guilty of violating the legislation on military duty and military service.”

Appeal for a Christmastime Peace in Ukraine

As Christmas approaches, the war in Ukraine is still ongoing after nearly four years, with countless lives lost, cities destroyed and grave consequences for the environment. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the war, there are still no signs of a breakthrough. Recent calls for a Christmas ceasefire from Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz represent a renewed opportunity for an important first step towards peace – a new Christmas Ceasefire. Similar proposals have been made in past years, including by Russia in 2023, without success.

EBCO New Annual Report on Conscientious Objection In Europe

A Call to Safeguard the Right to Refuse to Kill and Resist Wars

Read the full report here or browse by country.

EBCO’s 2024 Annual Report on Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe is released at a time of escalating global militarisation. From the revival of conscription in Europe to the devastating impacts of ongoing wars, the protection and empowerment of conscientious objectors is more urgent than ever.

Civil Society Statement on Nuclear Weapons Prohibition

By: Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, Released on October 23, 2024

On October 23, 2024, a statement was released by civil society organizations emphasizing the urgent need to prohibit nuclear weapons and denouncing the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail. Published in both Ukrainian and English, the statement underscores the importance of upholding Ukraine’s historical commitment to remaining a nuclear-free state.

The Ukrainian Movement of Pacifists strongly reaffirms Ukraine’s adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and condemns any discourse advocating for the development of nuclear weapons within Ukraine. This statement serves as a call to honor Ukraine’s obligations under international law and resist all forms of nuclear speculation, which jeopardize global peace and security.

Read the full statement in Ukrainian and English:

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Yurii Sheliazenko: “We must change the narrative of the inevitability of war.”

26.08.24 – Ukraine – Mauro Carlo Zanella | Pressenza International Press Agency

Changing the Narratives of War: An article based on Yurii Sheliazenko’s interview to read.

People should not be defined by wars they waged, wage or expect to wage. People must define their identity with collective imagination, knowledge, art, joy and happiness of togetherness and openness to embrace anyone and anything in this wonderful and good Universe. When we will walk in the light, not in the darkness, we will be brothers and sisters, equal and creative, not destructive. For that end, a great work of enlightenment must be done.

Court rejects Kagarlitsky’s appeal: Campaign pledges to redouble efforts for his freedom

Update Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign

June 6, 2024

“Unjust but not unexpected”: this is how Suzi Weissman, spokesperson for the Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign, described the June 5 decision of a Russian court to reject Boris Kagarlitsky’s appeal against a five-year jail term for “justifying terrorism”.

The court also maintained the ban preventing the well-known Marxist sociologist and anti-war activist from managing internet sites and telecommunications channels for two years from the end of his prison sentence.

Weissman said: “The judges’ draconian decision was no great surprise since all recent appeals against sentences brought down under Russia’s catch-all anti-terrorism legislation have been rejected.”

The charge of “justifying terrorism”, which has been widely used against anti-war activists in the Russian Federation, was brought against Kagarlitsky on July 25 last year after he made some ironical remarks on the occasion of the Ukrainian Navy’s July 17 attack on the bridge connecting Crimea to Russia.

The refusal of the body hearing Kagarlitsky’s appeal (the Judicial Collegium for Military Personnel of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation) means that he will now remain confined in a penal settlement in Torzhok (Tver region).

Kagarlitsky’s lawyer, Sergey Erokhov, has already stated on his Telegram channel (June 5) that he will continue with the appeal process, taking the case to higher instances of the Russian legal system, starting with the Praesidium of the Supreme Court and going as far as the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.

International appeal ignored

The appeals court judges refused to budge on Kagarlitsky’s sentence despite a special appeal from 37 internationally prominent progressive political figures and intellectuals, including Yanis Varoufakis, Jeremy Corbyn and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, as well as ministers in the Spanish government and MPs from France, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Brazil.

The signatories emphasised that Kagarlitsky had never advocated terrorist methods to reach political objectives and that keeping him in jail would tarnish Russia’s international reputation.

Since his jailing Kagarlitsky has also received offers of university postings in Brazil and South Africa, while the ongoing petition demanding his release has attracted more than 18,000 signatures to date.

Increasing repression

The court rejected the two main arguments of Kagarlitsky’s defence formulated by lawyer Erekhov, namely: “(1) it is impossible to judge a social scientist … for his professional activities and (2) punishment must be fair, i.e. it must correspond to the nature of a crime, the degree of danger it entails for the public and the circumstances in which it is committed.”

For Suzi Weissman, the judges’ “barbarous” decision to ignore such basic legal criteria reflects the determination of the Putin regime to crush domestic opposition to its war on Ukraine.

“In this context the basic democratic and legal rights of anti-war activists like Boris Kagarlitsky and thousands of others count for very little.

“Upholding Boris’s appeal would have set a very bad precedent for the Kremlin: if his argument had been accepted, why not that of everyone else condemned for ‘justifying terrorism’?”

Weissman concluded that Boris Kagarlitsky has become a “courageous champion of peace and symbol of the struggle for the right to freedom of expression, who has been the victim of a gross but entirely deliberate miscarriage of justice”.

The Boris Kagarlitsky International Solidarity Campaign will now redouble its efforts for his release. Details of a new round of initiatives will be announced soon.

Contact details:

United States: Suzi Weissman +1 818 521 2860
Canada: Andrea Levy +1 514 433 7890 Quebec: André Frappier 1 514 476 7306
United Kingdom: Alex Callinicos +44 (0)7703 358 909
South Africa: Patrick Bond +27 834 251 401
Europe: Alexei Sakhnin +33 758 988 815 Adam Novak +421 904232 129
Dick Nichols +34 683 171 461
Australia: Fred Fuentes +61 412 556 527

The World’s Tectonic Geopolitical Changes and their Implications

On May 22, 2024, the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security hosted an exceptional webinar panel on the Tectonic Geopolitical changes that are transforming the international landscape, their implications, and common security policies. Understanding the forces at play is essential to ending and preventing wars, reversing the climate emergency, and bringing greater security and justice to all.