Court sends Jehovah’s Witness member to jail due to AWOL

Meeting of the Court of Appeal in Rivne. Photo: court website

On November 21, 2025, the Rivne Court of Appeals confirmed the decision to keep a 43-year-old resident of Lviv region in custody for 60 days after he left his military unit due to his religious beliefs – according to the court’s official website.

According to investigators, the man, a minister of the “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” refused to perform military service on religious grounds. He agreed to perform alternative service, but not under military supervision. The suspect stressed that even preparing food for the military or working at defense facilities is, in his view, a mechanism for killing. He stated that he has no intention of returning to the military unit or defending the state from Russian aggression.

His lawyer insisted that detention was unfounded, since the man has no prior convictions, has never faced administrative penalties, and is described as a law-abiding citizen.

However, the prosecutor argued that under conditions of armed aggression the state has the right to limit the possibility of refusing military service on grounds of conscience, since this is part of ensuring the country’s defense capability. The prosecutor also emphasized that the suspect committed a serious crime – unauthorized abandonment of his unit – punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

In its reasoning, the court stated: “The law clearly distinguishes between two types of military service: compulsory conscription service and military service under mobilization. If, in the case of compulsory conscription, a conscientious objector may replace such service with alternative service, then in the case of mobilization the law provides no such option.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Supreme Court denied the right to alternative service during wartime.

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