The human rights organization Pro Asyl and about 40 other human rights groups have called on the German government to grant asylum to Russian and Belarusian deserters, as well as those who evade going to war against Ukraine.
This is stated in a joint statement issued by the organizations on Tuesday, March 29, Deutsche Welle reports.
"Germany and other EU countries must accept these people fleeing military service without bureaucracy and grant them permanent residence permits," the human rights activists said in a letter to the Bundestag.
Now deserters from Russia and Belarus can apply for asylum only on general rules, as persecution of this group of people is not considered "an indisputable ground for asylum" in Germany, and authorities and courts in Germany often make "excessive demands on evidence of persecution".
"Our goal is to provide protection and asylum for evaders and deserters from the war in Ukraine without any problems," the appeal reads.
At the same time, the signatories criticized the ban imposed by the Ukrainian authorities on men aged 18 to 60 leaving the country. The protocol states that "everyone has the right to leave any country, including his or her own," while recognizing that this right may be restricted "for reasons of national or public security".
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published an instruction for the Russian military on how to surrender to captivity to the Armed Forces. “Attention! Russian soldier! Do you want to live, do you want to see your relatives and friends? Use your chance to stay alive! Follow these rules!”