Volgograd court denies conscript a right to alternative civilian service

Conscript Yegor Zorin was seeking the right to alternative civilian service in connection with his religious beliefs, but the military registration and enlistment office considered that the young man had failed to prove his beliefs. The court ignored violations on the part of the commission, and there were no legal grounds for refusing Yegor Zorin, states a lawyer of the conscript.

On September 21, the Volgograd Regional Court considered the appeal of conscript Yegor Zorin, who filed a lawsuit against the military registration and enlistment office and the draft commission of the city of Kamyshin.

According to Yegor Zorin, the pacifist beliefs were formed in him from his childhood under the influence of his parents. “I realized that all wars are catastrophic,” said the young man.

According to lawyer Sergei Semushin, Yegor Zorin is not required to prove that he has pacifist and anti-militarist beliefs. The lawyer explains that Yegor Zorin will not be drafted into the army during the consideration of his application for the alternative civilian service and during subsequent trials. The young man may file applications until he is not in the conscription age.

Sergei Krivenko*, the director of the human rights group “Citizen. Army. Law”, reported that back in 2021, more than 20% of court cases on the right to the alternative civilian service were won.

“A man may have any beliefs, including religious, pacifist, and peace-making ones. The main thing is that they contradict the military service. These beliefs cannot be proven ... A man just need to submit an application to a military registration and enlistment office and attach two mandatory documents to it, including an autobiography in free form and a reference from his last place of work or study,” said Sergei Krivenko*.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 30, in Volgograd, a court refused to recognize the right of Bogdan Letunov, an animal rights activist and pacifist from Volgograd, to the alternative civilian service.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.