14.10.2026 | Online
Conscientious Objection is a Human Right!
Live Event from the European Parliament in Brussels
This initiative will explore conscientious objection as a fundamental human right and a form of resistance to war and militarisation. Bringing together conscientious objectors and peace activists from Türkiye, Israel, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, it will highlight the different pressures faced by those who refuse military service and examine the legal and political challenges they encounter, including the recognition of conscientious objection as a ground for asylum.
The discussion will also look beyond individual acts of objection to collective resistance to militarisation, from students and workers to transport and other civilian sectors. It will provide a space to exchange experiences, connect different peace movements and explore common forms of action against the expansion of the war machine.
Interpretation: IT, EN, FR, DE, ES, EL, PT, TR, DA, FI, SV
PROGRAMME
15:00 – 15:30
Welcome and Introduction
- Özlem Demirel, Member of the European Parliament – The Left
- Mario Neumann, medico international
- Zaira Zafarana, Human rights advocacy expert
15:30 – 16:45
Conscientious objectors for peace
Moderator: Marc Botenga, Member of the European Parliament – The Left
Guest Speakers:
- Türkiye: Şendoğan Yazıcı & Merve Akun
- Israel: Ella Keidar Greenberg, Mesarvot / Refusal Network
- Russia: Ilya Zaripov – Idite Lesom / Get Lost
- Ukraine: Andrej Konovalov, Post Soviet Left
Q&A Session
16:45 – 17:30
Struggles for the human right to conscientious objection and those who exercise it
Guest Speakers:
- Olga Karach, nasch dom / our house
- Hülya Üçpınar, Vicdani Ret İzleme
- Alexey Sakhnin, Mir Snizu / Peace from below
Q&A Session
17:30 – 18:30
From factories to schools and streets – Refusing war together everywhere
Moderator: Özlem Demirel, Member of the European Parliament – The Left (TBC)
Guest Speakers:
- Shmuel Schatz, Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht
- Christian Gorn, tram drivers against miliary ads. in Munich
- Marius Pletsch, DFG-VK
- Giulia Sezzi, Municipi Sociali of Bologna
- Volodymyr Ishchenko, Researcher on Ukrainian Anti-War
18:30
Closing Remarks
Disclaimer: the programme may be subject to change.
Organized by: The Left in the European Parliament and medico international