Dienstweigering en desertie als fundamenteel verzet tegen militarisering en oorlog
Het afgelopen jaar werd gekenmerkt door een fors toenemende militarisering. Gewapende conflicten nemen overal ter wereld toe. Het geloof dat alleen nog een militaire strategie met sterk verhoogde defensiebudgetten en bewapening een einde kan maken aan ‘onveiligheid’ wint weer aan aanhang, de oorlogspropaganda doet de rest.
Ook in eigen land, en zeker binnen de NAVO, gaan er stemmen op die oproepen om ons voor te bereiden op een ‘oorlogssituatie’ alsof dat een deterministisch noodlot is dat nu eenmaal de mensheid om de zoveel tijd bedreigt en waaraan geen ontsnappen mogelijk is.
Toch zijn er wereldwijd mensen die een heel andere strategie volgen, soms zelfs met gevaar van eigen leven, omdat ze weten dat het anders kan. In vele landen wordt de militaire dienstplicht opnieuw ingevoerd of uitgebreid. Jongeren worden mentaal en fysiek klaargestoomd om als soldaten de ‘tegenstander’ uit te schakelen. Dat kan al wat makkelijker als die tegenstander niet langer gezien wordt als een mens.
Gewetensbezwaren tegen militaire dienst is nochtans een fundamenteel mensenrecht dat wordt beschermd door een hele reeks internationale verdragen en mechanismen, zelfs in oorlogstijd. Moderne varianten op het aloude ‘Gij zult niet doden’ in zovele culturen. Inbreuken op deze rechten komen echter steeds frequenter voor, zeker in oorlogsgebieden, ook in Europa, denk maar aan Oekraïne, Rusland en Wit-Rusland.
Begin november was een internationale conferentie (EBCO) van mensenrechtenverdedigers die gespecialiseerd zijn in de verdediging van dienstweigeraars, deserteurs en gewetensbezwaren tegen militaire dienst te gast in Brussel en Leuven. Een delegatie werd ontvangen door Leuvens burgemeester Mohamed Ridouani (Vooruit) voor een openhartig gesprek en ’s avonds was er in de Rechtenfaculteit van de KU Leuven een zeer druk bijgewoonde academische zitting die werd ingeleid door prof. Stephan Parmentier.
De klemtoon lag daarbij op het belang van een mensenrechtenbenadering bij de juridische behandeling van rechtszaken tegen gewetensbezwaarden, dienstweigeraars en deserteurs.
Maar ook op dat vlak maakt de Europese Unie geen goede beurt. Aan de buitengrenzen van de EU bijvoorbeeld moeten Russische en Wit-Russische deserteurs meestal op niet veel mededogen rekenen als ze – op de vlucht voor een regime dat hen vanwege hun dienstweigering en/of anti-oorlogsactivisme vervolgt – bescherming zoeken.
Hieronder publiceren we enkele stukken over de toestand in Wit-Rusland, een dictatoriaal bestuurd militaristisch land, dat aan de zijde van president Poetin staat in de oorlog in Oekraïne. Olga Karatch, een feministische mensenrechtenactiviste, ondersteunt met haar organisatie ‘Nash Dom’ (Our House) al jaren Wit-Russische deserteurs en dienstweigeraars.
Door haar volgehouden activistisch werk, kwam ze uiteraard in het vizier van het Loekasjenko-regime, dat haar zelfs als ‘terroriste’ beschouwt. Zij werd al herhaaldelijk bij verstek veroordeeld in Minsk in rechtszaken die geenszins beantwoorden aan minimale mensenrechtencriteria. ‘Our House’ werkt momenteel vanuit de Litouwse hoofdstad Vilnius, maar zelfs daar kan Olga en haar ploeg op weinig ondersteuning of beschermend asiel rekenen.
Jan Van Criekinge
Conscientious Objectors and Deserters in Belarus: Facing Repression and Resistance
Belarusian conscientious objectors and deserters face severe repression for refusing to serve in the military or attempting to evade conscription. Despite these challenges, many continue to resist. This report outlines the situation for conscientious objectors and deserters in Belarus, focusing on the legal framework, army conditions, consequences for refusal, and the international response.
Legal Framework and Military Service
In Belarus, military service is mandatory for all men aged 18 to 27 who are registered in the military and not in the reserves. Conscription occurs twice per year, with about 10,000 young men called up each time. Those with a higher education serve for one year, while those without serve for one and a half years.
The Belarusian army comprises approximately 48,000 soldiers and 12,000 border guards. The country maintains a significant military force to exert control over its population.
Consequences for Conscientious Objectors and Deserters
Refusal to serve in the Belarusian army carries severe legal consequences. Under the criminal code, conscientious objectors can face fines, imprisonment, and, in extreme cases, the death penalty for desertion under the charge of ‘high treason’. Objectors may also be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Additionally, Telegram channels that offer support to conscientious objectors have been targeted by the government, and their administrators and participants are often charged with extremism, carrying a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
The Belarusian government actively criminalizes those who try to avoid military service, often subjecting them to public trials designed to intimidate others. These trials are often broadcasted, serving as a warning to anyone considering conscientious objection.
The Belarusian regime has labelled ‘Our House’ as an extremist organisation, and many Telegram channels that support conscientious objectors have been classified as ‘extremist’.
The editors of these channels face up to 7 years in prison in Belarus. Olga Karach was recognised as a ‘terrorist’ and sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison for her human rights activities.
Employment and Military Service
In Belarus, proof of military service is required for any job. This means that every Belarusian must show their military ticket when applying for employment. Without this document, objectors are excluded from the formal job market and are often forced into illegal or informal work.
Conditions in the Belarusian Army
The conditions within the Belarusian army are harsh, with practices resembling imprisonment. Soldiers endure physical and psychological abuse, such as hazing and punishment, which includes leg blows and neck strikes. Soldiers may be confined to solitary confinement for up to 15 days for infractions like using a personal mobile phone.
Additionally, every day, soldiers are required to watch state propaganda. This exposure to state-controlled media is meant to break their will and reinforce loyalty to the regime.
The harsh conditions, including the constant threat of punishment and brainwashing through propaganda, create an environment where individual resistance is crushed, and soldiers are left with little autonomy.
Military Academy and Forced Labor
Graduates of the Military Academy in Belarus are subjected to forced labor if they refuse to serve in the army. Those who graduate from the academy but refuse to fulfill their military obligations may be compelled to perform forced labor for at least five years.
Additionally, they face heavy financial penalties, which can range from 25,000 to 30,000 euros for refusing military service. This system further traps objectors in a cycle of repression and financial hardship.
International Challenges and Lack of Safe Haven
Conscientious objectors from Belarus who attempt to flee the country face significant obstacles in neighboring states. While many seek refuge in Lithuania, they are often deported back to Belarus as Lithuania considers them a national security threat.
Similarly, Russia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan do not offer proper asylum, often returning objectors to Belarus due to diplomatic pressure or lack of appropriate legal protections. This places many conscientious objectors in a cycle of fear, unable to find a safe place to live without the constant threat of persecution.
Conclusion
The repression faced by Belarusian conscientious objectors and deserters underscores broader issues of human rights violations and the suppression of freedom of conscience in Belarus.
Despite the intense pressure, these individuals continue to resist, choosing peace over war, at great personal risk. The international community must continue to push for the recognition of conscientious objection as a human right and ensure that those fleeing persecution are granted asylum and protection.
Russia has responded to my interview
Dear friends!
If you remember I always say that Lukashenko [nvdr: de president van Wit-Rusland] believes in us more than we believe in ourselves.
It turns out that not only Lukashenko but also Russia takes us seriously. They seem to believe in our strength much more than we believe in ourselves.
Yesterday [17 December 2024] at noon, I gave an interview to Radio Svoboda. I talked about our anti-war campaign, about supporting Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian conscientious objectors, and about the nuclear disarmament campaign.
Among other things, I expressed the opinion that Belarus must participate in the negotiations on Ukraine. But not through Lukashenko and not even through Tsikhanouskaya [nvdr: leider van de Wit-Russische democratische beweging].
I suggested Zianon Pazniak, the head of the Christian Democratic Party in Belarus—a historical figure, the person who achieved Belarus’s independence in 1991.
Why Pazniak?
With Lukashenko, it’s clear—his rule is pure terror. With Tsikhanouskaya, it’s also obvious: she has never defended Belarusians, not even in Lithuania, which means she cannot represent Belarus’s national interests.
But Pazniak is someone with real history and experience in extremely tough negotiations.
Yes, as a Belarusian man over 75, he holds very conservative views. Honestly, there was a time when he considered me something akin to the devil’s right hand because of my feminism and support for LGBTQ rights.
But Tsikhanouskaya also attacked him; he became a victim of her discrediting campaigns. Her media outlets defamed him repeatedly, which led us to make an informal agreement—a kind of non-aggression pact—to work together for Belarus’s benefit, albeit discreetly.
And now, the most interesting part
My interview, given in Belarusian, lasted just half an hour. It aired during the day and was in Belarusian. At first glance, it seemed like just another piece among the flood of content in Belarusian media.
But today, Russia reacted to my interview. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Belarus should indeed participate in negotiations. However—pay attention! —she said that it should be Lukashenko representing Belarus.
A discussion began on who would represent Belarus.
Honestly, I was shocked. Until yesterday, no one even mentioned Belarus in the context of Ukraine negotiations. Today, it has become the most discussed topic—Belarusian bloggers are talking about it, Telegram channels are buzzing with quotes, and Russia responded the very next day.
What does all this mean?
It means we are being heard. We are being taken seriously. Not only Lukashenko but also Russia is watching our actions closely.
We will continue working for peace in the region and striving to influence peacebuilding processes. And perhaps, we are closer to our goal than we think.
Warm regards,
Olga Karatch, ‘Our House’, Vilnius, 18 December 2024
Video recording of the EBCO event about the universal right of CO at the Law Faculty of the KU Leuven on Monday 4 November 2024: https://youtu.be/vMK5_8kqaDQ
Ukraine: About 300 criminal cases against conscientious objectors (WRI, London, 29 November 2024) https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2024/ukraine-about-300-criminal-cases-against-conscientious-objectors
Connection e.V. – International Support of Conscientious Objectors and Deserters https://en.connection-ev.org/index.php
Solidarity with persecuted activists: Through the campaign network it has been possible to support peace activists and human rights defenders who are threatened with prosecution or deportation to their country of origin because of their work.
#Protection4Olga: In Lithuania, Olga Karatch and the organisation Nash Dom are being denied protection. Although Olga has been sentenced to twelve years in prison in her country of origin, Belarus, for her human rights work she has not been granted refugee status. Several actions have been undertaken to support her and her family and appeal for her full protection.
Solidarity actions are absolutely necessary to support conscientious objectors and human rights defenders as well as addressing appeals and exercising pressure on the relevant authorities.
European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO): https://www.ebco-beoc.org/
EBCO Annual Reports: https://www.ebco-beoc.org/reports
Lees verder (inhoud december 2024)
