Peace movement | Rudi Friedrich: Voice of conscientious objection falls silent

A 60-year-old German vacationer died while hiking on Lake Como in northern Italy, press agencies reported in mid-July. According to the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera," the man and his wife had rented a vacation home on Lake Como and had set off on a hike alone on Monday. During the hike, he reportedly sent his wife photos via cell phone – then lost contact. Emergency services later found his body in a remote forest near Barni, in the hinterland of the popular tourist resort of Bellagio.

On July 18, the Connection e.V. association announced that the victim was its long-time chairman, Rudi Friedrich. "He leaves a huge gap in our internationally active association," a press release stated.

Bernd Drücke of the non-violent anarchist monthly newspaper "Graswurzelrevolution" also expressed his shock at the death of his friend and companion in an interview with "nd." "There is probably no one who was as well connected with military and conscientious objectors around the world as Rudi." Advocating for the rights of war and conscientious objectors was Friedrich's life's work – and has done so for over 40 years, he himself explained in an interview with "nd" in January 2025 .

In the early 1990s, thousands of young men from the former Yugoslavia sought refuge in Germany to avoid being drafted into one of the nationalist successor states. Friedrich and his comrades supported many of them. Later, deserters and conscientious objectors from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, and many other countries joined them. "The goal is always to strengthen those affected in their decision against war and to protect them from recruitment," Friedrich described his work.

Under his leadership, Connection e.V. developed from a loose network into a professional association with five employees. In recent years, Friedrich has been particularly committed to helping people fleeing military service and war in Russia and Ukraine. He founded the "Object War Campaign" for this purpose. "Approximately 250,000 conscripts left Russia to avoid participating in the war. More than 300,000 fled Ukraine. We see their decision as a small individual but very important contribution to ending the war," he told "nd."

For antimilitarists like Friedrich, the past few years, with their growing public rhetoric of "war capability," have been a major challenge—especially since former conscientious objectors have also participated. Friedrich had therefore planned a tour with conscientious objectors from Russia and Ukraine for the fall. This tour will have to take place without him.