Volyn court cancels mobilization of Baptist pastor

The pastor stated in court that his faith prohibits clergy from taking up arms. Photo: unian

`The court in Volyn declared the mobilization of a Baptist pastor illegal after he was included by the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) in the list of the clergy eligible for deferment. This was reported by zaxid.net with reference to a decision published in the court register in October 2025.

The pastor of the "New Life" community of Evangelical Christians-Baptists appealed to the court after he was mobilized for military service in March 2025. He stated that his faith prohibits taking up arms, and he was included in the official list for deferment approved by DESS.

"The mentioned faith prohibits believers and especially clergy from taking up arms or having any relation to the armed forces of any state," stated the Baptist pastor.

Judge Nazar Stetsyk established that the mobilization was conducted in violation of the law. "The plaintiff was covered by the immunity from conscription provided by paragraph 1, part 1, article 23 of Law No. 3543-XII," the decision states.

The court emphasized that the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) is obliged to verify the data on the citizen's right to deferment. "The TRC should have verified the presence or absence of the plaintiff's right to deferment from conscription for mobilization, considering the relevant notification from the plaintiff," the document states.

By the court's decision, the orders for the pastor's conscription for military service and enrollment in the military unit's personnel were declared unlawful and canceled. The decision can be appealed in an appellate procedure.

As reported by the UOJ, DESS and PACE discussed the law banning the UOC and mobilization of clergy.

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