There is widespread resistance to forced conscription in Ukraine and people are leaving to avoid a war they don’t support.
Under new EU temporary protection rules, Ukrainians must have proof of military exemption to get temporary protection. As a result, the Irish government is sending people without military exemption back to Ukraine into a war they don’t support and don't want to fight in.
Paul Murphy calls on the Taoiseach to challenge President Zelensky on forced conscription in Ukraine when he is in Dublin this week. He also calls for the Irish government to stop sending Ukrainians who don’t have military exemption back to Ukraine to a war they don’t want to be part of.
Paul Murphy TD said:
“It is approaching five years since Putin invaded Ukraine and hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the brutal war. The savagery of Putin’s invasion has been widely and rightly documented and challenged. However, what has been less challenged is the forced conscription taking place in Ukraine.
“Many Ukrainians don’t want to fight and very likely die in the war. Half of military age men in Ukraine have not registered for conscription and there is an ongoing exodus from the country.
“In response, conscription is being enforced, often violently, by the Ukrainian government. If people cannot produce the military exemption documents, they are often lifted off the streets in unmarked vans and taken to enlistment centres for conscription. This is known as ‘busification’.
“When President Zelensky is in Dublin this week, the Taoiseach must challenge President Zelensky on these abuses of human rights.
“The Irish Government is also endangering Ukrainians. Under new temporary protection rules, people from Ukraine who do not have military exemption documents and have come here seeking refuge from war are being sent back to Ukraine into a war that they do not support and that they do not want to fight in.
“Some Ukrainian refugees living in Ireland who protested against forced conscription and border closures were later listed on the state-linked Myrotvorets website accused of treason. Their passport details, apparently leaked from state registers, were published on the website. They face very high risk of attack if forced back to Ukraine.
“The 1951 UN Refugee Convention states that refugees cannot be returned to a country in which they are likely to face a threat to their life. Hungary has opted out of the new EU temporary protection rules being used to force Ukrainians into a war. The Irish Government should opt out too.
“In addition, the government has stated it intends to exclude time spent in the State under the Temporary Protection Directive for naturalisation purposes. This is another cruelty that must be reversed."