Good News: Russian Court Overturns Decision to Mobilise Christian Conscientious Objector to War
After the Russian mobilisation for the war in Ukraine was announced in September 2022, Pavel Mushumansky, a young Evangelical Christian, was called to a military unit. He appealed to the court, as he is a conscientious objector to take up arms. The court concluded, that as he had previously completed an alternative civilian service, he could no longer be sent to the active army during mobilisation. The Gatchina City Court of the Leningrad Oblast therefore declared illegal the decision to conscript Pavel Mushumansky.
In 2019, Pavel Mushumansky was called up for military service and wrote an application for the Alternative Civilian Service, because he stated that as an Evangelical Christian his beliefs do not allow him to take up arms.
After the Russian mobilisation for the war in Ukraine was announced in September 2022, the young man was called and sent to a military unit. He appealed to the court, which took interim measures suspending the decision on mobilization until the case was considered. Having considered the case, on 30 November the Gatchina City Court recognized the illegality of conscripting and mobilising a Contious objector who had previously completed the Alternative Civilian Service.
Nonetheless, Mushumansky's defense also asked the court to appeal to the Constitutional Court for clarification on it's constitucionality, since the Decree of the President of Russia "On the announcement of partial mobilization in the Russian Federation" does not mention the "Alternative Civilian Service" nor religion as exceptions.
Source: SOVA Center for Information and Analysis; Forum 18; Human Rights Without Frontiers International
Photo: img.zr.ru