“Cut off genitals so cowards can’t reproduce”: The UN criticized forced mobilization in Ukraine

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has condemned Kyiv’s position on the lack of a mechanism for conscientious objection to military service.

The report highlights that the right to refuse military service on the grounds of conscience is enshrined in Ukraine’s Constitution and international agreements.

“However, Ukrainian domestic legislation unlawfully restricts this constitutional right to certain forms of religion or belief, excluding others, which contradicts applicable obligations of equality before the law and non-discrimination,” the report states.

The document includes testimony from a Jehovah’s Witness, as relayed by UN human rights advocates.

“We should cut off your genitals so cowards like you can’t reproduce!” were the words allegedly spoken by a draft board official when the Jehovah’s Witness attempted to refuse service on religious grounds.

Over the course of three months in the fall, human rights defenders documented at least five cases of men being conscripted and sent to training centers after trying to exercise their right to conscientious objection.

“In all cases, the men were arbitrarily detained for two to four days by military personnel responsible for the draft and subjected to cruel treatment or torture. They faced threats of violence and ‘being sent to the front line,’ while four of them were beaten, choked, and dragged across the floor,” the report stated.

Earlier, a court in the Odesa region sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness to 3.5 years in prison for refusing mobilization due to his faith.

Previously, the UN stated that Ukrainian authorities had unjustifiably banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church without sufficient grounds.