A Kyivskyi district court, in (Ukraine) has declared Innocent of evasion of military service to a man of Christian Baptist confession who worked like Engineer and radio In a local institute. After receiving a recruitment notification, this man He refused to join the armed forces of his countryciting the registration of judicial cases of Ukraine. And so ended before justice.
In May 2024, the Supreme Court of Ukraine made a ruling that does not exclude the right of a citizen to the conscientious objectioneven in the case of having to serve in the army even during the Martial Law. Is valid for people who are members of registered religious organizations that they commit to teachings of faith that They prohibit carrying weapons And also for those who They can demonstrate a sincere commitment to such faith outside registered organizations.
On July 8, 2024, this Baptist citizen went voluntarily to the State recruiting center to update your data, where it was Found fit For military service and was informed that he needed to return to the center to be aimed at military training courses four days later.
The man wrote a Rejection letter to accept recruitment, referring to your Religious belief as a member of the church of Járkov Blahodat (bless, in Ukrainian). When did not reach the recruitment center In time, recruitment officers affirmed that violated the law on preparation for mobilization and recruitment.
During the judicial hearings, the defendant said that, although he was declared suitable for the service, He could not join the service because he had been part of the religious community of Christian Baptists since 2016. I had a church confirmation document as evidence.
The Church itself is on the list of religious organizations whose faith does not allow the use of weaponssigned by the Cabinet of Ukraine Ministers on November 10, 1999. The Ijo processing that would accept the service Alternative if I didn’t have to carry and use weapons.
The man also said that he works in a critical company as an engineer, but that the Radioastronomy Institute could not withdraw it from recruitment (although they began the procedure in May 2024).
A representative of the Baptist Church who supported the defendant during the judicial hearings said that Some people in the Church joined the Army And that taking arms or is not A personal choice of each person.
The court’s verdict indicates that the defendant has deep, sincere and consistent religious convictions that come into conflict with a commitment to military responsibilitiesadding: “In the opinion of the court, the accused You have the right to refusal of conscience to provide military service and its substitution by an alternative (non -military) service. “
“The alternative service is a service that is established instead of compulsory military service and aims toUmploy with obligations to society“It was explained in the case of the Supreme Court of May 2024.
The verdict of this case says thatl Perform the work that man does as an engineer and radio expert for the Ukraine Army And in his institute, “he is already participating in the endurance to the aggression of the Russian Federation in a different way from the one that would do on the battlefield with a weapon. “
