In Volyn, a man who refused to serve due to religious beliefs was sentenced to three years in prison
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In Volyn, the court sentenced a 46-year-old man to three years in prison, who refused to serve in the Armed Forces because of his religious beliefs – the accused called himself a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization.
This is not the first conviction for the man – in 1995, he was sentenced to two years in prison for refusing to do military service.
According to the verdict of the Ivanychiv District Court, on June 1, the man was served with a summons, which stated that he must arrive at the TCC in a week to be sent for military service. Since he refused to accept it, the Military Committee employees drew up a corresponding act against him, and later opened criminal proceedings, writes Zaxid.Net.
The man explained in court that he did not want to serve in the army for religious reasons.
| Photo: JanPietruszka/Depositphotos |
“He and his family have been parishioners of the theocratic organization “Jehovah’s Witnesses” throughout their lives. He attends meetings of this organization. Judging by the canons that preach the postulates of the organization’s faith, he does not have the right to take up arms, and therefore he refuses to fulfill the draft for military service on mobilization“, the man’s explanation is cited in the verdict.
Another member of the organization testified in court. She explained that their local organization is not specifically registered on the territory of Ukraine, parishioners gather “in different buildings”. The woman could not remember how often the accused attended gatherings.
At the same time, the man himself admitted that after the start of the full-scale invasion, he hardly attended services.
After examining the case materials, the judge found the man guilty of violating Art. 336 of the Criminal Code (evasion of the draft) and sentenced him to a minimum sentence of three years in prison under this article.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force, the accused may appeal.
We will remind you that earlier we wrote whether it is possible to avoid mobilization due to religion or to undergo alternative service during the war.
Read also: Clung to a car and skied: in Lviv, a dodger disguised as a grandmother was arrested
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