May 15 is International Conscientious Objectors (CO) Day!

The Center on Conscience and War (CCW) invites you to join us in celebrating and honoring COs with a week of actions you can take to protect the right to conscientious objection for *all* COs – wherever they are.

Today, if you haven’t already, please sign and share this letter to President Biden, asking his administration to end any further deportations of Russian COs.

After promising last year not to deport anyone seeking asylum from the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration suddenly deported a Russian CO earlier this spring, in what appears to be an incorrect or biased interpretation of US asylum policy regarding draft resistance.

Rejecting asylum claims based on draft resistance upholds the legitimacy of the draft, while undermining rights of conscience. As people working for an end to war and the right to freedom of religion and belief, we are called to protect the right to conscientious objection under US law. Without an active draft in the US, the Russian asylum seekers are bearing that burden for us right now. We are called to stand with them.

More actions you can take during this CO day/week of action:

1. After you sign the petition, you can call the White House (202-456-1111) and let them know you are concerned that deporting conscientious objectors seeking asylum in the US sets a bad precedent for all people of conscience.
2. Reach out to your member of Congress to alert them about your concerns and ask them to exercise their oversight and investigative authority to find out why COs are facing detention and deportation when they seek asylum in the US.
3. If you are in the northeast US, you can join War Resisters League and St. Francis Catholic Worker House on Wednesday, May 17, from 9:00-10:30 am at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, outside the gates at McKinley Park, corner of Mohegan Avenue and Williams Street. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will be speaking, as we deliver the message, End the inhumane border conditions, new restrictions and fast deportations.  Welcome Asylum Seekers!
4. Share the petition and letter with your friends and networks.

Thank you for all you do to support conscientious objectors to war!