Turkey

Back to:Mehmet loves Bariş* Documentation: Conscientious objection in Turkey

Back to:Mehmet loves Bariş* Documentation: Conscientious objection in Turkey

Back to:Mehmet loves Bariş* Documentation: Conscientious objection in Turkey

Editorial
Conscientious Objector cases
The case of conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan
The case of conscientious objector Halil Savda
The case of conscientious objector Mehmet Bal
The case of conscientious object

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International

Istanbul, 11 June 2005

I came to Turkey as part of an international delegation to observer the trial against conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan in Sivas, on 9 June 2005.

Arrest of nonviolent activists and conscientious objectors at trial in Sivas

In May, the situation of imprisoned gay conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan worsened considerably, and War Resisters' International put out several co-alerts on his case, and also set up a special Turkey campaign page - at present in English and German, to respond to the news on abuse and death threats against Mehmet Tarhan.

Cyprus, a tiny divided island in the eastern Mediterranean is a military minefield. Even after accession to the EU, no country in the world - with the exception of Korea - has seen its territory amassed with such a deadly array of weaponry with possible catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants. 40000 occupying Turkish forces and another few thousand Turkish-Cypriot soldiers face a few thousand Greek- Cypriots conscripts and Greek soldiers, with British troops and bases and a few thousand UN peace keepers guarding the ceasefire line.

In the previous month, the WRI office issued the following co-alerts:

(a full archive of co-alerts is available at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts)

TURKEY: UPDATE: Sahin Ozbay released 28/04/05

TURKEY: Trial against Mehmet Tarhan adjourned.

On 28 April, Mehmet Tarhan, gay, anarchist, and conscientious objector, was tried for "insubordination in front of his unit" according to Article 88 or the Turkish Military Penal Code. This charge carries a punishment of between 3 months and 5 years imprisonment.

To show international support, War Resisters' International organised an international delegation to observe the trial.

On 18 December 2004, some twenty Turkish antimilitarists protested in front of the Harbiye Officers Club against the imprisonment of conscientious objector Halil Savda (see co-alert TR14682-161204). Police pushed the antimilitarists to the other side of the road, but did not make any arrests. The antimilitarists read out a press release, in which they gave details of Halil Savda's case and expressed their solidarity.

Halil Savda was born in Sirnak/Cizre in 1974, and graduated from primary school.

Turkey: Brief arrest of conscientious objector

The Turkish conscientious objector Cemal Karakus, who declared his conscientious objection publicly on 15 May 2004, was briefly arrested by police in mid-October. The reason for his arrest was that he is considered a draft evader. However, the police did not find any reason to keep him under arrest, and so he was released again.

Although War Resisters' International's focus for International Conscientious Objectors' Day is Chile and Latin America, activities in different countries obviously respond also to the local situation, while drawing attention to the focus region at the same time.

Britain

There will be a memorial event for conscientious objectors past and present at the commemorative stone for conscientious objectors in Tavistock Square, central London, on 15 May. The event will start at noon.