Germany classifies conscientious objector data as restricted, citing defense capabilities

The German government plans to stop publicly disclosing the number of conscientious objectors in the country, classifying the data as restricted due to national security concerns, according to a parliamentary response.

The decision was disclosed on Monday by the German Peace Society – United War Resisters (DFG-VK), citing a response to a formal inquiry submitted by several members of parliament from the Left Party (Die Linke).

According to a report by the newspaper junge Welt (jW), lawmakers had questioned the federal government earlier this month regarding how many individuals contacted since January 1, 2026, had applied for conscientious objector status, as well as the total number of such recognition applications filed this year.

The government classified this information as “VS-Nur für den Dienstgebrauch” (Restricted—For Official Use Only), citing “public interest” requirements.

Berlin justified the classification by labeling the number of conscientious objectors as sensitive information, stating that “disclosure to unauthorized persons could damage the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its states.”

According to the federal government, making the response public could allow external parties to draw conclusions about the Bundeswehr’s (German Armed Forces) expansion capacity and personnel planning based on the requested figures.

The government further argued that when combined with other data, “the exact publication of these figures could lead to conclusions regarding the future structure and personnel readiness of specific capabilities of the armed forces, and thus the defense capability of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Historically, Berlin has made these figures public. On Monday, DFG-VK criticized the government’s refusal to provide current statistics on conscientious objection.

Cornelia Mannewitz, national spokesperson for DFG-VK, described the move as “a new low for the government in terms of transparency.”

Mannewitz argued that the data does not concern “secret deployment plans, weapons systems, or military capabilities,” but rather “individuals exercising their right to conscientious objection.”

Until now, the federal government had not handled this information so restrictively. In recent years, it regularly provided detailed statistics on conscientious objection applications.

For instance, approximately 3,000 applications were reported for 2024, rising to around 7,700 for 2025. According to junge Welt, this upward trend is likely the reason behind the government’s new secrecy policy.

For the current year, the government only disclosed that approximately 110 conscientious objection applications submitted prior to medical examinations had been rejected.

DFG-VK strongly contested the justification that withholding the information serves the “public interest.”

The association argued that the right to conscientious objection must not be “politically marginalized” or “rendered statistically invisible.”

According to DFG-VK, a “democracy” must be resilient enough to allow visibility over how many people choose not to perform military service.

“Those who keep this number secret are not protecting the country’s security; instead, they are preventing public debate on militarization and the social acceptance of military service,” Mannewitz said.

Elsewhere, indications are growing that the Bundeswehr’s large-scale promotional campaign is not progressing as the government hopes, facing significant resistance particularly within schools.

On Monday, the Brandenburg Ministry of Education and Youth announced it had signed a cooperation agreement with the “Bundeswehr Information Center”—the military’s promotional unit—to guarantee the armed forces “binding access” to students in Brandenburg in the future.

Gordon Hoffmann, the Education Minister from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), emphasized: “School is a central place where young people develop their political judgment and engage with issues of peace, security, and responsibility.”

The minister added that cooperation between schools and the Bundeswehr strengthens this “capacity for judgment” and provides “insights into the responsibility of the state.”

However, the move has sparked controversy. Falk Peschel, the education policy spokesperson for the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) parliamentary group in the state parliament, told junge Welt on Monday that the legislature had not been informed of the agreement’s text in advance.