World BEYOND War Board Member, pacifist, and opponent of all wars and violence, Yurii Sheliazhenko has been abducted by police in Ukraine. He has long been threatened and falsely accused of supporting Russian warmaking.

Please sign this petition.

We will post updates here as we have them. If you learn anything please add it in the comments.

Yurii Sheliazhenko, PhD, is a Member of the Board of Directors of World BEYOND War. He is based in Ukraine. Yurii is executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, a board member of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, and a council member of the International Peace Bureau. He obtained a Master of Mediation and Conflict Management degree in 2021 and a Master of Laws degree in 2016 at KROK University. In addition to his participation in the peace movement, he is a journalist, blogger, human rights defender, and legal scholar, an author of academic publications and a lecturer on legal theory and history. He has been a facilitator for World BEYOND War’s online courses. Yurii is a winner of the International Peace Bureau’s 2022 Sean MacBride Peace Prize.

UPDATE:

From Quaker Meeting in Kiev:

Today, March 19, 2026, representatives of the Pechersk District Police in Kyiv, along with an individual claiming to be a TCC (Territorial Recruitment Center) officer who refused to identify himself, illegally detained Yurii Sheliazhenko—a human rights defender, pacifist, and conscientious objector to military service.

This act of lawlessness took place on Perspektyvna Street. The detention was led by Senior Operative Serhiy Vitaliyovych Nakopyuk. No protocol was drawn up. Yurii managed to call his lawyer, but the officers did not wait for the lawyer’s arrival. According to Yurii, he is currently being transported to an unknown location at 20 Boichuka St. This is an illegal detention and a gross violation of human rights.

OPEN LETTER TO THE OMBUDSMAN OF UKRAINE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS:

March 19, 2026 To the Ombudsman of Ukraine for Human rights hotline@ombudsman.gov.ua

From David Swanson, Executive Director of World BEYOND War

We understand that Yurii Sheliazhenko has been arrested.

A petition to the Ukrainian government, signed thus far by 12,000 reads:

We call on you to drop any legal proceedings against Yurii Sheliazhenko, and to respect human rights, the right to conscientious objection, and the right to freedom of speech. The absurdity of prosecuting someone for justifying Russian warmaking on the basis of a statement in which he has explicitly condemned Russian warmaking, is matched by the absurdity of waging war in the name of freedom and democracy while engaging in this sort of harassment of citizens. We urge you to do better.

If you are not familiar with Yurii’s case, here is a great deal of background material.

The Ukrainian government is not alone in struggling to understand the concept of opposing both sides of a war. To many people the world over it sounds like a misstatement or nonsense or some sort of trick. Yet, if two members of the Ukrainian government were to propose settling a policy disagreement by means of a duel with loaded pistols at 20 paces, everyone else would oppose both sides of the duel.

If humanity is to survive much longer it will probably need to start viewing war as it views dueling. The fact that many, many people are not there yet does not mean that Yurii does not hold a coherent system of belief. One must suspect that a failure to quite understand this has led to the absurdity mentioned above of taking a statement by Yurii explicitly opposing both sides of the war, including the Russian side, and presenting it as evidence of Yurii supposedly supporting the Russian side.

The ongoing harassment of Yurii Sheliazhenko is in any case a terrible violation of the right to conscientious objection, which needs to be respected whether understood or not.

The petition linked above includes thousands of comments. These are drawn from the first couple of pages:

“My solidarity with the advocate and activist of Peace Yurii, guarantee for his life, and full respect for his rights.”

“Mr. Sheliazhenko’s anti-war stance does not make him a criminal worthy of search and seizure without bothering to present a warrant. Any charges against him resulting from any such process violating judicial norms of a society claiming to be a democracy exposes the anti-democratic junta nature of the said society that also denies him freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Demand an explanation from the Ukrainian government, an apology, and return of all his possessions.”

“As a Ukrainian-American, I strongly urge you to drop the prosecution of Mr. Sheliazhenko.”

“If this is how the Ukrainian gov’t respects democratic freedoms, I don’t think the US should support it.”

“Yurii is a pacifist. Why would he justify aggression? The charge is outrageous and illogical. Drop the charge and apologise!”

“Yurii Seliazhenko is not an enemy of the state. He is an academic and a respected peace activist. Don’t arrest people who are exposing the waste and stupidity of war. Negotiate a path to peace.”

“Nonviolent peace activists must be protected, not prosecuted or otherwise persecuted. These are the people that, if allowed to do so, will save human life on this planet.”

“Do not prosecute Yurii Sheliazhenko for upholding peace, peace is our only chance.”

“To harass one of the few voices of reason in this war makes no sense. Instead the blood lust of both nations continues unabated. Instead of blaming the war mongers they blame those subjected to this slaughter. Peace now not years from now.”

“Sad move on the Ukranian government/police officials. Peace will not be silenced.”

“Please stop this grave injustice and drop prosecution of Yurii Sheliazhenko!”

“Show respect for human rights and the right to dissent in Ukraine. Leave Yuri alone; He is a pacifist.”

“Prosecuting Yuri undermines belief that the Ukrainian government is fighting for freedom. Very disturbing.”

“Drop this prosecution and allow this peaceful person the rights that everyone should have.”

“I have been following Yurii’s work for over a year and am very supportive of him. He is a pacifist who consistently condemns all violence and abuse. I have heard him many times condemn what Russia has been doing since February of 2022.”

“Charges against Yurii Sheliazhenko are utterly absurd, he’s one of the most coherent pacifists ever born on this planet!”

“Yurii is a hero to people around the world. The government must stop persecuting him.”

“Leave a peaceful man in peace!”

“Free all people from all nations who call for conscientious objection to war!”

“Quit acting like Russia which does the same thing to its dissenters!”

The post Yurii Sheliazhenko Abducted by Police in Ukraine appeared first on World BEYOND War.

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