"Conscience does not end when war begins", Quakers tell UN
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has reminded the UN Human Rights Council that the right to conscientious objection to military service must be protected in wartime.
The call comes as the number of armed conflicts around the world is higher than at any time since the UN was founded.
At the Human Rights Council's latest session QUNO made statements and held a side event with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva on 14 September.
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Conscience does not end when war begins
- Lucy Richardson, QUNO
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At the event, co-sponsored by Costa Rica and Croatia, diplomats heard testimony from conscientious objectors around the world and OHCHR presented its latest report on the issue.
Nazila Ghanea, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, described the legal framework and her work regarding conscientious objectors.
The right to conscientious objection is recognised in human rights law and UN resolutions have affirmed it many times as part of freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
QUNO said the right applies at all times and in all circumstance, including military mobilisation and martial law. It also covers people already serving and reservists who have been called up.
Quakers are concerned by the OHCHR report's finding that armed conflicts are limiting the right to conscientious objection.
Conscientious objectors and peaceful advocates of conscientious objection should not be detained or sanctioned, they say. And those who flee persecution for exercising the right must have access to international protection.
QUNO has worked for many decades to secure and strengthen recognition of conscientious objection in the UN system.
Lucy Richardson, at QUNO in Geneva, said "Quakers believe in the inherent human dignity and equality of every person.
“That is why we reject the taking of human life, and why we stand with everyone whose conscience leads them to refuse to fight.
"Conscience does not end when war begins. When people are under the most pressure to act against their beliefs, their right to refuse matters most."