Ukraine is drafting a bill on alternative civilian service in war conditions

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience together with the Economy and Justice Ministries is working on a new draft law on alternative non-military service. The initiative is aimed at protecting the freedom of conscience of citizens under martial law. This is reported by Ukrinform.

The head of the department, Viktor Yelensky, made a statement to this effect during a round table in Kiev dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Operation North — mass deportation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to him, the existing law «On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations» adopted back in 1991 was progressive for its time, but today it completely fails to take into account the realities of a full-scale war and current mobilization mechanisms.

Yelensky emphasized that developing a legal framework for alternative service in the current environment is an «extremely difficult» task. He noted that modern international concepts of human rights have not faced challenges of such intensity that Ukraine is now enduring. Special attention in the new draft law will be paid to the rights of believers, whose beliefs, based on the biblical principle of «thou shalt not kill,» categorically prohibit taking up arms or wearing military uniforms.

Despite the absence of a full-fledged legislative framework for wartime, the head of the State Service believes that Ukraine honors the standards of freedom of conscience. In particular, the state finds mechanisms to support clergymen and heads of religious organizations, who have to ensure the livelihood of their communities without directly participating in military operations.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience (SSEC) confirmed discrimination against UOC priests in the issue of reservation of clergy from mobilization.