Connection e.V.

⚠️ UPDATE on Zacharias Piazas case
📌Greece: Important court ruling provides protection from recruitment to conscientious objector until his case is examined.
🔎The Committee on Suspensions of the Council of State (Greece's supreme administrative court) has ruled in favour of recognised conscientious objector Zacharias Piazas (see joint press releases of 17 February 2026 and 13 March 2026), as far as it concerns his application for suspension of acts of the administration requiring him to be recruited in the armed forces, until his case is examined by the same court.
A previous provisional order of suspension had been issued, but the military authorities tried to circumvent it, by annulling an initial, manifestly illegal, call up for military service and issuing a new one.
The current ruling ordered the suspension of the decision which revoked Piazas’ conscientious objector status, as far as it concerns its part which requires him to perform military service. Furthermore, the Committee of the court ordered that, as an additional measure, the administration should not schedule a call up for military service, until another Piazas' application, for annulment of the relevant decisions of the military authorities is examined by the court.
👉 Essentially, this means that Piazas is safe until the essence of his case is examined by the court.

🟧 Die unterzeichnenden Organisationen (Connection e.V., EBCO – European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, War Resisters' International, Fellowship of Reconciliation) bringen ihre Empörung über das Vorgehen der griechischen Militärbehörden im Fall des Kriegsdienstverweigerers Zacharias Piazas zum Ausdruck, das gegen das Völkerrecht und die Anordnungen des Staatsrats, des obersten Verwaltungsgerichts Griechenlands, verstößt.

➡️The undersigned organisations (Connection e.V., EBCO - European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, War Resisters' International, Fellowship of Reconciliation) express their indignation for the actions of military authorities in Greece in the case of conscientious objector Zacharias Piazas, in defiance of international law and the orders of the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court.
FORCED TO TEMPORARILY DEPART FROM THE PUNITIVE ALTERNATIVE SERVICE
Zacharias Piazas, an officially recognised conscientious objector to military service, by decision of the Greek Minister of National Defence, initiated the (punitive and discriminatory) alternative civilian service, in December 2025, in an institution for chronic medical conditions in Thessaloniki, away from the region of his permanent residence, but soon found himself forced to temporarily depart because of the harsh financial conditions. The institution did not provide him with housing or the minimum resources to cover his basic living needs.
UNLAWFUL CALL UP FOR MILITARY SERVICE AND REVOCATION OF CO STATUS
Despite his written explanation to the military authorities about his inability to continue under such conditions, on the 10th of February 2026, while still having conscientious objector (CO) status, he was unlawfully, even in terms of domestic legislation, called up for military service to be enlisted on the 27th of February 2026.
On the 12th of February, the military authorities revoked his CO status. [...]
COURT ORDERS SUSPENSION OF OBLIGATION FOR MILITARY SERVICE
[...] On the 27th of February 2026, the day he was scheduled to report for military service, the President of the 6th department of the Council of State issued a provisional order of suspension of the ex*****on of the appealed decisions, as far as they concern the obligation to report for military service. [...]
MILITARY AUTHORITIES DEFY COURT ORDERS AND INSIST ON CALLING UP FOR MILITARY SERVICE
Despite that, on the 6th of March 2026, the military authorities informed Mr. Piazas that they revoke the [manifestly unlawful] call up for military service [of the 10th of February] for enlistment on the 27th of February, but he is now scheduled to report for military service in May 2026, and that he will receive a new call up for military service. [...]
The undersigned international organisations urge the Greek authorities to halt such persecution, cease calling up Zacharias Piazas, a recognised conscientious objector, for military service, immediately annul the unlawful revocation of his CO status, and provide him and all conscientious objectors in Greece with an alternative civilian service which is not punitive and discriminatory in terms of its nature, cost or duration, according to the relevant concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee."
🔎Read the full joint press release here: https://en.connection-ev.org/article-4696

Work in progress.

Together with pour l'Enfance

"I have always been revolted by violence, and I've always lived with that fear that it was getting
closer and closer"
Noor Epstein, 17, from Ramat Gan

"But the truth is that the army is not fate – no one is born a soldier. And like any other choice, the choice to enlist has consequences."

Read the article in Haaretz - link in comments ☮️

📌 "VOICES FOR PEACE"
🔹WEDNESDAY JULY 1st 2026
🔹6-7 PM CEST
JOIN IN!
Online presentation of a new publication that explores the backgrounds and lives of several conscientious objectors.
Organized by Connection e.V., Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) , War Resisters' International, and Agir pour la Paix
👉To participate, please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/.../reg.../dYEOLqNqRTKrWD0vfzvEhA...

🟢Der Hohe Kommissar der Vereinten Nationen für Menschenrechte, Volker Türk, brachte sein tiefes Bedauern über die Verabschiedung einer neuen Rückführungsverordnung der Europäischen Union zum Ausdruck, die eine rasche Abschiebung von Migranten und Asylsuchenden aus dem 27-Mitgliedsstaaten-Block ermöglicht.
🟢UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed his deeply regret for the adoption of a new European Union return regulation allowing speedy deportations of migrants and asylum-seekers from the 27-member bloc.
Read more at https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-welcomes-political-agreement-return-regulation-2026-06-02_en
👉The UN High Commissioner called on the EU and its Member States to exercise due diligence and ensure that the implementation of this regulation is fully consistent with international human rights and refugee law.
The EU Regulation on Returns, which was voted on by the European Parliament on 17 June, expands the use of pre-removal detention and enables EU members to create so-called “return hubs” in third countries.
“International human rights law and refugee law are very clear: no one should be returned to a place where they would be at risk of serious human rights violations or other irreparable harm. This is the fundamental principle of non-refoulement. It must be fully respected by all countries and all territories under all circumstances.”
“Deportation decisions must always be based on individualized assessments and should not be carried out prior to conclusion of appeal processes,” Türk said.
Read the full statement at https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/06/un-human-rights-chief-concerned-about-new-eu-returns-law-urges-consistency
📣 We call on Member States to grant asylum to conscientious objectors to military service and human rights defenders who seek protection abroad, in line with UNHCR Guidelines on International Protection N. 10.

🔵Sudan: civil society calls on UN Human Rights Council to urgently address the situation in El Obeid.
👇
https://defenddefenders.org/sudan-urgent-call-on-hrc-to-address-el-obeid/
📌"As the city of El Obeid, North Kordofan, faces a risk of atrocity crimes as a result of an imminent ground offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied forces, a group of Sudanese, African, and international civil society organisations call on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to urgently address the escalating crisis.
The appeal comes amid warnings from UN officials and bodies that an offensive on El Obeid could lead to grave human rights violations, some of which may amount to crimes under international law. The organisations stress that the international community has already witnessed similar patterns of abuse in El Fasher and Zamzam camp, North Darfur, and must act now to prevent another atrocity crisis.
The signatories call on the HRC to mandate an urgent inquiry by the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) for Sudan into the situation in and around El Obeid and to ensure reporting on its findings. They further urge the Council to strengthen accountability efforts by providing the FFM with adequate resources to identify all perpetrators and enablers of violations, including external actors supporting Sudan’s warring parties and fuelling the conflict."

🔎Together with:
(As of 26 June 2026.)
African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)
Amnesty International
Burkinabè Human Rights Defenders Coalition (CBDDH)
Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Benin (CDDH-Bénin)
Connection e.V.
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide )
Darfur Women Action Group
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project
Federation of African Journalists (FAJ)
Geneva for Human Rights – Global Training & Policy Studies
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)
Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD)
Governance Programming Overseas (GPO)
Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights
Human Rights Watch
Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme (IM2DH) – Togo
FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights
International Practice of Human Rights (IPHR)
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
IRTF - The InterReligious Task Force on Central America
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) – Sudan
MIR Italia (Italian branch of International Fellowship of Reconciliation )
Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP)
Network of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in North Africa (CIDH AFRICA)
Nigerien Human Rights Defenders Network (RNDDH)
Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities (PAEMA)
The Reckoning Project
Re Dress
The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO)
The Strategic Initiative for the Horn of Africa (SIHA)
Sudanese Women For Peace UK (SWP)
Sudanese Women Rights Action
Sudan and South Sudan Forum e.V.
Togolese Human Rights Defenders Coalition (CTDDH)
Women of Change Organization
Youth Citizen Observer Network (YCON Sudan)..

✊ On International Conscientious Objection Day, we stand with those who refuse violence, militarisation, and conscription.

Conscientious objection is a commitment to life, dignity, and collective care in a world shaped by war.

📢Today, we call for the right to refuse to kill to be guaranteed everywhere

Connection e.V. participated in EBCO - European Bureau for Conscientious Objection General Assembly and discussed with partners and colleagues about the situation of conscientoous objection in Europe, ongoing actions and possible joint efforts.

Together with War Resisters' International, Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA), Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto AKL, Agir pour la Paix, Our House, . . .

📍 We have some special news to share!

📜 Today, on the International Day of Conscientious Objection, we are launching our publication: 'Voices of Peace, Stories of Conscientious Objectors from Europe and beyond.'

💡 Conscientious objectors are people who refuse the war system. This can mean refusing to serve, wanting to leave the army after joining, refusing to be enlisted, refusing to train for war, or refusing to support or take part in any war activities.

🗨️ Join us in reading inspiring stories from objectors in eight countries: Belgium, Greece, Eritrea, Türkiye, Israel, Finland, Russia, and Spain.

Each story is unique and comes from a different background. From Spanish artists to Russian human rights activists, the desire to live in peace transcends gender, age, and location.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and shared their stories. This publication would not exist without you. 💙

You can read these stories here �https://www.qcea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/QCEA_Voices_of_Peace.pdf

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🤝 This project is a collaboration between Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA), Connection e.V., War Resisters' International, and Agir pour la Paix.

Big thanks to everyone involved in the creation of this publication:

Authors: Celina Bebenek and Andrew de Sousa (Quaker Council for European Affairs), Zaira Zafarana (Connection e.V.), Semih Sapmaz and Natalia García Cortés (War Resisters’ International).

Editorial support: Julia Montier and Charlène Poupon Brengel (Agir Pour La Paix), Mikheil Elizbarashvili (Peace and Service Network), Gill Alcock and Kate McNally.

Translation from French: Daniel Flynn.

Design: Beatrice Romagnoli and Celina Bebenek.

Image credit ©Asis Percales for Fine Acts