A Belarusian conscientious objector risks deportation despite pending international human rights proceedings.

Ilya is a Belarusian citizen, asylum seeker, and conscientious objector who has refused military service on moral, political, and humanitarian grounds. After exhausting all national remedies in Lithuania, he now faces imminent deportation to Belarus.

He left Belarus on 28 February 2022 after sustained pressure connected to his family’s participation in the 2020 protest movement. His mother and stepfather were forced to flee the country. After their departure, Ilya was interrogated by college authorities, his phone was searched for “extremist” content, and he was threatened. As a result, he was forced to interrupt his studies.

Ilya is a conscientious objector. He refuses military service because the Belarusian army functions as an instrument of political repression and may be involved in violations of international humanitarian law. In Belarus, conscientious objection is not respected as a human right and often leads to criminal or administrative punishment.

With assistance from Dapamoga, later designated as an “extremist” organization in Belarus, Ilya relocated to Lithuania in April 2022. He received humanitarian residence permits and later applied for asylum.

In December 2023, he formally requested asylum, citing political persecution, conscientious objection to military service, family protest history, and association with Dapamoga.

On 3 April 2025, the Lithuanian Migration Department rejected his application, ordered his departure, and imposed a one-year re-entry ban. Although interim measures were initially granted, both the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the refusal.

International Legal Steps

In response, the International Center for Civil Initiatives “Our House” submitted a request for interim measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of the European Court of Human Rights, seeking to prevent Ilya’s deportation. The Court rejected the Rule 39 request.

Despite this, a full and detailed application has now been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights, alleging violations of Articles 3 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case has been formally submitted, and confirmation of registration is currently pending.

However, the rejection of Rule 39 means that Ilya currently has no protection against immediate deportation while awaiting the Court’s response.

Renewed Asylum Procedure

In parallel, Ilya must now submit a new asylum application in Lithuania. This step is legally necessary in order to prevent automatic enforcement of the deportation order and to present updated arguments, including his status as a conscientious objector and the worsening situation for returnees to Belarus.

This new procedure requires urgent legal assistance, financial resources, and institutional support. Without this, Ilya remains in a situation of extreme legal vulnerability.

Concrete Risks Upon Return

If deported to Belarus, Ilya faces:

– prosecution for conscientious objection and refusal of military service;
– forced conscription into an authoritarian military structure;
– criminal charges related to contacts with Dapamoga;
– political persecution linked to his family’s protest history;
– detention, interrogation, and possible ill-treatment;
– long-term restrictions on education, employment, and freedom of movement.

These risks are not theoretical. They are consistent with well-documented patterns of repression in Belarus.

A Systemic Failure of Protection

Ilya’s case demonstrates a systemic failure to recognize conscientious objection as a form of political persecution in authoritarian contexts. His refusal to participate in state violence has been treated as a personal choice rather than a protected human right.

Lithuanian authorities have relied on formalistic standards of proof while disregarding the structural nature of repression in Belarus.

Conclusion

Ilya is a conscientious objector, a political exile, and a young person whose life trajectory has already been disrupted by repression. He has sought protection through national courts and international mechanisms. Yet today he remains unprotected.

His deportation to Belarus would create a real and foreseeable risk of persecution, forced military service, and violation of his fundamental rights.

His case is now a test of whether European human rights mechanisms can offer real protection to those who refuse to serve authoritarian violence.

 

 

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