Information on conscientious objection and the right to alternative service in the Ukraine was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The 1992 Law on Alternative Non-military Service provides that the right to alternative service is available only to conscientious objectors who refuse to perform their military service for religious reasons and who belong to religious denominations that have been officially registered with the government (IHFHR 28 May 2002, 329; Defence & Security 17 July 2002).

There reportedly exists a list that, as at July 2002, contained over ten religions that have been approved for the aforementioned purpose of enabling a conscientious objector to refuse military service, and they include Seventh Day Adventists, Reformists, Pokutniks, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christians of the Evangelist Church and Evangelical Baptists (ibid.). Information on the other religions listed and information on any other religions that may have been added to or removed from the list since July 2002 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Information on recourse offered by the military to a person whose alternative service is cancelled on the basis that he is discovered to be an Evangelical Christian-Baptist could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Defence & Security. 17 July 2002. Arina Zhenkova. "Fit for Alternative Service Religious People in the Army in Ukraine." (Dialog)

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHFHR). 28 May 2002. "Ukraine." Human Rights in the OSCE Region: The Balkans, the Caucasus, Europe, Central Asia and North America. http://www.ecoi.net/pub/ds103_02283ukr.pdf [Accessed 23 July 2004]

Defense and Foreign Affairs Handbook, 2002

The Embassy of the Ukraine, in Ottawa, did not respond to a letter requesting information.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), BBC, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003, The Day [Kiev], Dialog/WNC, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Freedom in the World 2003, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Zerkalo [Kiev].