Jehovah's Witness convicted in Odesa region for refusing to mobilize

The Artsyz district court of Odesa region found a native of the village of Lisky, Novoukrainsky district, Kirovohrad region, guilty of evading military service during mobilization and sentenced him to three years in prison.

However, the judges immediately decided to release him from imprisonment and set him on probation for one year.

The man received a summons, but did not come to the territorial center for recruitment and social support, citing his religious beliefs and status as a follower of the Religious Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine.

At the court hearing, the accused did not admit guilt in committing the offense, explaining to the court that from 1998 to 2000 he was in regular service, holding the rank of sergeant, was a mechanic-driver and played a spiritual instrument in a military orchestra. Since 2021, he has been studying the Bible, and since August 2024, he has been an unbaptized messenger of the Religious Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine. After he received the summons, he always came to the TCC and said about three times that he was ready to do alternative service, as he could not do military service according to his religion, providing the relevant statements, but he was not offered alternative service and was told that alternative service was possible only in wartime. Therefore, he did not evade, but wanted to replace military service with alternative service in order to help the state in a civilian way.

The court noted that despite the defendant's plea of not guilty, the fact of his intentional evasion of military service during mobilization was confirmed by the evidence.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that a reference to affiliation with a religious community has not been used as a reason for exemption from liability for refusing to be mobilized. In May, the Zakhariv District Court of Odesa region found a resident of the region guilty of evading military service during mobilization and sentenced him to three years in prison.

Кирило Бойко