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Amicus curiae brief for the Supreme Court (Ukraine) in the cassation proceedings in criminal case of Vitaliy Alexeienko, in support of the defendant

Authors:
  • International Peace Bureau

Abstract

The Supreme Court in this case is to decide whether it is a crime of draft evasion or lawful disposal of human rights, if a person, who don’t belong to any particular church, being called up to military service during mobilization under martial law, declared conscientious objection and asked for alternative non-military service. This case raises fundamental questions about human rights and constitutional law, so in public interest and to uphold rule of law the court must take into account this amicus curiae brief. Ukraine has legal obligations to guarantee human right to conscientious objection to military service, including under martial law. Conscientious objection to military service precludes criminal liability for draft evasion, and Soviet-time doctrine of presumption of guilt of objectors is wrong. Conscientious objection as individual right must be protected regardless of membership of an objector in religious organizations, and declaration of conscientious objection to military service must be considered sincere unless otherwise is proven beyond reasonable doubt on the basis of presumption of innocence and forum internum approach. we advise the Supreme Court to grant the cassation appeal, acquit and release a defender in this case, prisoner of conscience Vitaliy Alexeienko, because the crime of draft evasion provided for in Article 336 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine should not be confused with a legitimate exercise of human right to conscientious objection to military service provided for in Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 9 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights).
Supreme Court ()
Case No 344/7666/22
Presiding judge Vyacheslav Nastavny
Amicus curiae brief for the Supreme Court
(Ukraine) in the cassation proceedings in
criminal case of Vitaliy Alexeienko, in
support of the defendant
Contents
Interest of the amicus curiae ................................................................................. 2
Background to the hearing in this case ................................................................. 4
Summary of argument .......................................................................................... 6
Argument .............................................................................................................. 8


 ................................................ 8

 ................................. 9

-
 ............................................................................................................... 13



 
innocence and forum internum  ........................................................ 16
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 19
Signatories ........................................................................................................... 19
2
Interest of the
amicus curiae
Signatories of this amicus curiae 



undamental




is the 
1 
non-g

 He  the





 He is also co-
2.
Nicola Canestrini Master's
Degree in L

yer he





1 ---
--12--
2 Br

 
-

3
crimes against humanity.3 
  
4.
Foivos Iatrellis  
-
Human Ri
. He studied






.
Yurii Sheliazhenko master’s degree in   aster’s degree in


; s a ng
in the  (Ukraine).
Yurii is a council 
6s
 


 Alexeienko78Mykhailo
  9.
3 -canestrini
4 
---- ;

-ukraine-una-missione--difendere-il--di--alla-

--

6 -
7   ( 

8 Hennadii Tomniuk 

9 orsky (

4

pro bono publico, 





 

Background to the hearing in this case
 is 46-year- 


- and
summoned to June . He declared that he could not
requests to

ignored  formal
a that
certain registered faiths ha
 Alexeienko 
found guilty -

- and sentenced to a one-
 dict of -. He
-

his sentence. He lodged a further ca.
11 12 instances 
Alexeienko’s case alleged that he has no right to
  . 

11 -f  in the U
 
12 Judgment of the -t of  
 

(Non- 
 
human rights  e

-s the 
in his  on right to freedom of
religion13  (
the Netherlands- 
.
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine 
-Military)
at all the
f Ukraine Dmytro
 

to

14.

 and

16.
in 
Bi 
conscience 17 Dietmar
13 
  -
-Maksym-----
14 ---
--12--
 
-
16 
-
17 
-
6
at the same hearing 18
 19.
of Reco during idUN
High Commissioner for Human Rights 
called iy Alexeienko.
Summary of argument

 ular

-

so in 

defendant and release him immediately.



the



of ma


challenging circumstances the 

18 Streaming of hearings in  i-
----
19 
 
 
 -
stands--at-the-un-for---in-ukraine-and-refers-the-cases-of--alexeenko-hennadii-
tomniuk-and-andrii-
7














. 






-

 In Teliatnikov v Lithuania and Adyan and others v
Armenia 


-


he Charter of


hat


 and
8
that d 

 forum internum . 

forum internum. I





-of 27


 

Argument

law, so in public interest and to uphold rule of law the court must take into account
this amicus curiae brief.
21


decision-








21 -12 March

9







democracy.


nal human




the  of the Criminal
 

guilthe right to defence the right to

22.


23 and
24.
 A

. 
22 -17 # Te x t
23 - 

24 UNTC 

 


derogate from their
A 

26
27 

 In c
28 t


case of Atasoy and Sarku29.

and in  ) Ukraine
has co-31nce (e.g. Human Rights
 ; 


religious adherence.





-
etc-
32

High Commissioner for Human Rights  session of the Human Rights Council (24 June
 
26 -
---and--rights
27  concerning the case  
No.1642--
28  
29 
-
 -sixth session 

31 .  of Human Rights Council co-authored and

32 ---
--12--
11
enforced only in 16; only one of them (Türkiye) has not yet recognised the right to


has ruled that the safeguardof the
 
religion) 
 and an
-held religious or other
 

ncluding   and other cases.
The Court also decided that mere reference to the “necessity of defending the


 


.33
 inter alia, that e
; i

-34
i


According to cle 64 





36
33 

34 -
 
36 
12
the 




ng
.37 T
Ukraine  


 and freedoms of a
--

 rights



38
 in case No.
4-
of A and of
39
of the




Art. 
 and Art. 9 
37 the -
19
38 D
t amendments 
39 Judgment - of  (in Ukrainian)
-22#Text
 - 
---

13
3) 
-





crime; tdangerous acts or

41.


contradicts 
iminal Code of Ukraine human
rights.
 

42
 

43
is necessary 


nt or recklessness. 
that 




44
41 -
42 
43 
44 
14




The term “ethe 
 
 
s consequences.



since it  directly or indirectly endangers a sacred right to life.

conscience. In Teliatnikov v Lithuania 46 and Adyan and others v Armenia
47 
of a

 


conscience.
 


non-military) 

.
Mental stance of a 
 if they are regula
 
that 

 
46 
-
47 
-177429




Ukrregarding the crime of

.) are
48 T
 not innocence 

criminal intent 
 -


49. 

rights


 
It  
 

freedom of though


(1993) on the right to freedom of .


not a crime.
48 

49 --
 
of the armed forces (A

 Ukraine co- ;

--se-dec-stat Human Rights
Council 
16
4) 



innocence and forum internum approach
in its 
 stressed 
to all co
-


- according to 
and 11 and to
t also demands 
 
 and must 
 -.

non-religious or non-
liefs. As stressed Human Rights
 


a


Acle 18 (1) of the 
Rights  forum
internum 
forum internum 
 
 
 - 
-12#Text
 
 
17
forum externum 

C rotected regardless of
 for reasons of non-
in 
 
to tr
  and also taking into
account case-
 


according 
 



(forum internum)
(forum internum) is an

f the 

and 
  forum internum 
.
 






 
h
 Judgment - of  (in Ukrainian)
-22#Text
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
-
A








yond
forum internum
.
-

ma
 
in the  of
current
-

reference to the instandards of higher
legal force.
 to quash the
 and to order his immediate release from
 to grant him  


 -

19
Conclusion
We ask 


Ukraine 
Code of Ukraine.


conscience 

an 



.
Signatories
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