Jehovah's Witnesses elder tried for refusing to bear arms

A Jehovah’s Witness elder stood trial for refusing military service on religious grounds. Photo: sledst.org

The Dykanka District Court of the Poltava region has handed down a verdict against a Jehovah's Witnesses elder for refusing mobilization on religious grounds. The man requested that military service be replaced with alternative service, but the court indicated that there is no such option under martial law, reports Poltavshchyna.

On July 6, 2026, the court found guilty a Poltava native, who has been a Jehovah's Witnesses minister since 1999 and has held the position of a clergyman, an elder of the local congregation, since 2016. In the spring of 2025, the man underwent a military medical commission and received a summons, but did not appear at the Territorial Recruitment Center at the appointed time.

The Poltava resident justified his refusal by stating that his faith forbids Christians from bearing arms and learning to kill. The elder submitted an application to the military commissariat requesting transfer to alternative non-military service, citing Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

During the court hearing, the man did not plead guilty and emphasized that he was prepared to serve the state only without bearing arms. At the time of the proceedings, he already had a deferment from mobilization through his place of employment, but this did not save him from liability for the previously recorded fact of failure to appear.

The judge analyzed the arguments of the defense and dismissed them, citing the practice of the Supreme Court. The verdict stated that the interests of public safety allow for restrictions on the right to profess religion. The court emphasized that the law on alternative service does not provide for the replacement of obligations for those mobilized during wartime.

The court sentenced the Poltava resident to 3 years of imprisonment under Article 336 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Taking into account his positive character references and absence of prior convictions, the man was released from actual imprisonment with a probationary period of 1 year.

As the UOJ reported, since the beginning of the war, 16 Jehovah's Witnesses have received prison sentences for refusing to go to the front.

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