Lviv region court sentences Jehovah’s Witness to 5 years for refusing to fight

Statue of Themis. Photo: linkedin

The Stryi City District Court in the Lviv region sentenced a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious community to five years in prison for refusing military service on religious grounds, zaxid.net reports.

The Mykolaiv native was mobilized in the Lviv region in November 2024. He left his place of service four days later and, ten months afterward, voluntarily reported to the State Bureau of Investigation. Law enforcement opened a criminal case against him on charges of desertion.

In court, the defendant denied the desertion charge. He said he was a minister and that his religious beliefs prevented him from wearing a military uniform or taking up arms. According to the conscript, he had submitted a written request to the Territorial Recruitment Center back in 2022 asking to be assigned alternative civilian service. On November 19, 2024, center employees forcibly took him to the facility, where he said he was held for four days without his consent.

“I did not put on a military uniform and did not recognize myself as having military status,” the defendant said.

Judge Stepan Sas rejected the defense’s arguments concerning the right to conscientious objection. In its ruling, the court explained that Ukrainian law does not provide for alternative service in place of mobilization during martial law.

The judge stated in the ruling: “The right to profess one’s religion or beliefs is not absolute and may be subject to restrictions under certain conditions... He has no factual or legal grounds for conscientious objection to military service.”

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

Read also