By DiEM25, April 10, 2026

As Europe arms yet more heavily (“re-arms”??) and conscription returns across the continent, what happens to those who refuse to fight? In the first episode of a new Frontline series on conscientious objection, host Mehran Khalili speaks to Yurii Sheliazhenko — a Ukrainian legal scholar, pacifist, and winner of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize. He’s been a declared conscientious objector since 1998. Two weeks before this interview, Yurii was grabbed off the street in Kyiv, beaten, pepper-sprayed, and held for two days without a lawyer. He now faces trial for “justifying Russian aggression” — based on a document he wrote that condemns Russia’s invasion. His trial is on 13 May. With wars escalating and military spending exploding, Yurii’s story is no longer just about Ukraine. It’s about what happens to all of us when our governments tell us to fight.

Sign the petition to drop charges against Yurii!

The post Tortured for Saying No: One Ukrainian’s Determination to Resist Nonviolently appeared first on World BEYOND War.

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