The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Bochum, 28 February 2022

Due to the war of aggression ordered by President Putin against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 with the participation of Belarus, the human rights of the Ukrainian civilian population are being violated in the most serious way. Over half a million people, mostly women, children and the elderly, are already on the run. The invasion is a violation of international law that goes hand in hand with the most serious war crimes, which should be prosecuted and brought to justice. Today, the Russian attacks have continued even during ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has already appealed to the International Court of Justice and, as it is a state party to the International Criminal Court, Russia’s war of aggression and human rights violations will be subject to trials based on international law.

The insidious attack affects us all. We are called upon to stand up for the Ukrainian civilian population and to strengthen those who are now forced to defend their rights and the democracy they have chosen with unequal means and weapons.

The lawyer and Holocaust survivor Dr Fritz Bauer has said and written a lot about the right and duty to resist based on his own experiences. He wrote: „When we talk about the duty to resist, we can only be talking about disobedience against state laws and orders that are unconstitutional, i.e. that violate human dignity or a human right, or concern a war of aggression.“ This is now the case in two respects. Our task is therefore to educate about disinformation and to support Russian civil society as well as those in Belarus who are against the war by sharing their news and appeals (like here ). But making the voices of the opposition in Russia and Belarus, which are not few, heard is only one task. Our other task is to support and strengthen the opposition and resistance in Ukraine (#StandwithUkraine). This includes the EU facilitating the entry of refugees from Ukraine, and this should also apply to all people seeking refuge and protection in our country.

We endorse the statement issued today by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR, Berlin), which denounces „the effects of a world order based on militarisation and confrontation“, as previously seen in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan and now also in Europe. The reform of the UN Security Council, whose democratic capacity to act is blocked by the veto rights of individual major powers and where Russia currently holds the presidency, is not just an urgent task: it is absolutely necessary to strengthen international law and democracy.

It is already clear that the war of aggression against Ukraine is reinforcing both nationalist tendencies and the militarisation of a world that is once again dividing into power blocs. We call on democratic states and governments to put a stop to this return to the days of the Cold War and bloc confrontations by strengthening civilian cooperation and increasing respect for political and social human rights in view of the prevailing hardship in the world, which has been exacerbated by climate change and the current pandemic.

No! to war – return to peace and international law