In January 2006, th e Europe an Court of H um an Righ ts (ECH R) in Stras bourg de cide d on th e cas e of Turk is h cons cie ntious obje ctor Os m an Murat Ülk e , w h o be tw e e n 19 9 7 and 19 9 9 s pe nt 2 ½ ye ars in m ilitary pris on on nu-m e rous ch arge s of „dis obe di-e nce “. Th e court rule d: „Th e num e rous crim inal pros e cutions agains t th e applicant, th e cum ulat-ive e ffe cts of th e crim inal convic-tions w h ich re s ulte d from th e m and th e cons tant alte rnation be tw e e n pros e cutions and te rm s of im pris onm e nt, toge th e r w ith th e pos s ibility th at h e w ould be liable to pros e cution for th e re s t of h is life , [...] w e re m ore calculate d to re -pre s s ing th e applicant’s inte lle ctu-al pe rs onality, ins piring in h im fe e lings of fe ar, anguis h and vul-ne rability capable of h um iliating and de bas ing h im and bre ak ing h is re s is tance and w ill. Th e clande s tine life am ounting alm os t to “civil de ath ” w h ich th e applicant h ad be e n com pe lle d to adopt w as incom patible w ith th e punis h m e nt re gim e of a de m ocratic s ocie ty.“ In conclus ion th is am ounte d to a vi-olation of Article 3 of th e Europe an Conve ntion on H um an Righ ts .

So far, s o w e ll, one could s ay. Afte r m ore th e n s e ve n ye ars , th e cas e finally com e s to an e nd. H ow e ve r, th is unfortunate ly is not th e cas e . Os m an Murat Ülk e is s till living th e clande s tine life th e Europe an Court com plaine d about, alth ough h e re ce ive d com -pe ns ation from th e Turk is h s tate . And in June 2007 h e re ce ive d a ne w arre s t w arrant, orde ring h im to s e rve outs tanding pris on tim e from 19 9 9 . W h e n Os m an Murat Ülk e 's law ye r appe ale d agains t th e arre s t w arrant to th e Es k is e h ir m ilitary court, th e court de cide d th at e ve ryth ing is fine w ith th e ar-re s t w arrant, be caus e th e ECH R did not orde r a re trial, and th e re -fore th e e arlie r s e nte nce s are s till e nforce able , e ve n th ough th at m igh t am ount to a violation of Art-icle 3.

Th is blatant affront to th e ECH R by a Turk is h m ilitary court is not a coincide nce : th rough th e ir cons cie ntious obje ction, obje ctors attack th e ve ry h e art of Turk is h m il-itaris m .

Militaris m as s tate doctrineMilitaris m is th e m ain founding

principle of th e Turk is h Re public, only to be m atch e d by laicis m , of w h ich th e m ilitary is th e s e lf-ap-pointe d guardian. Th e Turk is h Re -public w as form e d by Mus tafa Ke m al Atatürk on 23 Octobe r 19 23, follow ing four ye ars of “w ar of inde pe nde nce ”, le ad by Ata-türk . Th e ne w Turk is h s tate im ple -m e nte d a s e rie s of re form s to bre ak th e pow e r of Is lam , and to “m ode rnis e ” – “w e s te rnis e ” – Tur-

k e y: adoption of th e Europe an cal-e ndar (19 26), ch ange from th e Arabic to a Latin bas e d alph abe t (19 28), ne w civil and pe nal code s bas e d on th e Sw is s and Italian code s (19 26), am ong oth e rs . H ow e ve r, th e ne w Turk is h s tate w as far from be ing de m ocratic: “From th e prom ulgation of th e Law of Mainte nance of Orde r in March 19 25, Turk e y's gove rnm e nt w as an auth oritarian one -party re -gim e , and, not to put too fine a point on it, a dictators h ip” (Z ürch -e r).

H ow e ve r, th e s e re form s w e nt h and in h and w ith th e cre ation of a “m yth of a m ilitary nation” (Altınay), w ith obligatory m ilitary s e rvice for m e n as a ce ntre pie ce . As s oon as practically pos s ible – w ith th e firs t ce ns us of 19 27 – th e ne w Turk is h Re public introduce d unive rs al cons cription, boos ting m ilitary s tre ngth from around 78,000 in 19 22 to 800,000 in 19 39 /40. Along w ith th is w e nt th e cre ation of th e m yth “e ve ry (m ale ) Turk is born a s oldie r” – s om e th ing today de e ply ingraine d in th e dom inant Turk is h culture .

Th e Turk is h m ilitary until now plays an im portant role in Tur-k e y's public and political life . Since th e be ginning of th e Turk is h Re public, th e m ilitary took pow e r th re e tim e s (19 60, 19 71, 19 80), and s tage d “s ile nt coup's ” s e ve ral tim e s , forcing its w ill onto th e civil-ian political e lite . According to th e Turk is h cons titution, th e Ge ne ral Staff is not accountable to th e M in-

is try of De fe nce – it only h as to co-ordinate w ith it.

Th e e ve nts of th is ye ar around th e e le ction of th e ne w Turk is h pre s ide nt Abdullah Gül – m e m be r of th e m ode rate Is lam ic Jus tice and De ve lopm e nt Party (AKP) – not only h igh ligh te d th e pow e r s truggle be tw e e n th e m ilit-ary, guarding w h at it inte rpre ts as Atatürk 's principle s – and an in-cre as ingly pow e rful m ode rate and m ode rnis e d Is lam in Turk e y, but als o th e pow e r s truggle be tw e e n th e m ilitary and civilian political in-s titutions in ge ne ral.

Th e Kurdis h is s ueKe m alis t Turk is h nationalis m

is at odds w ith th e m ulti-e th nic re al-ity in Turk e y. In re ce nt m onth s , th e is s ue of th e Arm e nian ge no-cide in 19 19 , and th e re -e m e r-ge nce of th e Kurdis h gue rilla of th e Kurdis tan W ork e rs Party (PKK) m ade th e ne w s .

Since 19 80, PKK w age d a gue rilla w ar agains t th e Turk is h s tate , firs t w ith th e aim of Kurdis h inde pe nde nce , now aim e d at autonom y w ith in a Turk is h s tate . Th e Turk is h m ilitary re s ponde d w ith full-out w ar in th e Kurdis h province s , a s tate of e m e rge ncy and a policy of e th nic cle ans ing. In 19 9 9 , Turk e y s e iz e d Abdullah Ö calan, th e n le ade r of th e PKK, w h o w as s ubs e q ue ntly s e nte nce d to de ath , w h ich w as com m ute d to life -long aggravate d im pris onm e nt.

W h ile th is w as a m ajor blow to PKK, th e gue rilla h as s ince re -

form e d and re gaine d s tre ngth . Th e re ce nt attack s w ith in Turk is h te rritory, and th e capture of Turk -is h s oldie rs by PKK gue rillas , w h o ope rate out of Kurdis h north e rn Ir-aq , s park e d te ns ions be tw e e n Turk e y and Iraq – and s ub-s e q ue ntly be tw e e n Turk e y and its NATO allie s , e s pe cially th e USA and Britain.

W h ile th is is s ue of th e Brok e n Rifle is going to pre s s , Turk e y h as am as s e d 100,000 troops at th e borde r to Iraq , re ady to invade , to “root out te rroris m ”. Firs t air s trik e s on Iraq i te rritory alre ady took place . Initially, th e AKP gov-e rnm e nt h ad be e n oppos e d to a m ilitary s olution, but th e pow e r of th e m ilitary in Turk e y force d it to e m brace th e pos ition of th e m ilit-ary – or to be ignore d and s ide -line d by th e m ilitary drive n age nda. Now , th e gove rnm e nt is publicly tak ing an abs olute h ardline pos ition. As w e go to pre s s , th e Turk is h gove rnm e nt h ad jus t re je cte d an Iraq i propos al to s olve th e conflict.

Andre as Spe ck

Lite rature :Ayşe Gül Altınay: Th e Myth of th e M ilitary-Nation. Militaris m , Ge nde r, and Education in Turk e y. Ne w York , 2004Erik Jan Z ürch e r (e d.): Arm ing th e State : M ilitary Cons cription in th e M iddle Eas t and Ce ntral As ia 1775-19 25. London and Ne w York , 19 9 9

EditorialW e lcom e to th e s pe cial e di-

tion of Th e Brok e n Rifle for Pri-s one rs for Pe ace Day – 1 De ce m be r. Th is ye ar w e focus on th e s ituation in Turk e y. W e m ade th is de cis ion be fore th e pre s e nt e s calation of th e Tur-k is h -Kurdis h conflict, w h ich again h igh ligh ts th e pow e r of th e m ilitary in Turk is h s ocie ty and politics : it is th e ins titution w h ich s tands above e ve ryth ing – th e gove rnm e nt, th e cons titu-tion, inte rnational h um an righ ts s tandards .

W h ile pre s e ntly – to our k now le dge – no cons cie ntious obje ctor or oth e r pris one r for pe ace is s e rving a pris on te rm in Turk e y, th is can ch ange any day. More th an 60 individuals publicly de clare d th e ir con-s cie ntious obje ction s ince 19 89 (th is num be r doe s not include Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s or oth e r re ligious obje ctors ), and num e -rous activis ts and journalis ts pote ntially face pris on s e nte n-ce s for s pe ak ing out agains t m ilitaris m – or re porting on th e ir activitie s and opinions . Tw o cons cie ntious obje ctors – H alil Savda and Enve r Ayde m ir, a Mus lim obje ctor – s pe nt tim e in pris on th is ye ar and are pre -s e ntly "fre e ", but officially de s e r-te rs . Oth e r obje ctors – Os m an Murat Ülk e , Me h m e t Bal, Me h -m e t Tarh an, to m e ntion jus t a fe w – are in a s im ilar s ituation of "civil de ath ". And all de clare d cons cie ntious obje ctors could be im pris one d by police at any tim e , and h ande d ove r to "th e ir" m ilitary unit.

In th is s ituation of "civil de ath " for cons cie ntious obje c-tors , inte rnational s upport is urge ntly ne e de d. Pre s s ure is e ve n ne e de d s o th at Turk e y im ple m e nts a de cis ion of th e Europe an Court of H um an Righ ts , and e ve n m ore pre s -s ure w ill be ne e de d for Turk e y to finally re cognis e th e h um an righ ts of cons cie ntious obje c-tors and antim ilitaris ts .

W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational h as accom panie d and s uppor-te d Turk is h w ar re s is te rs s ince th e ve ry be ginning. W ith your h e lp w e w ill continue to do s o.

Andre as Spe ck

Th e Brok e n RifleTh e Brok e n Rifle is th e ne w s -

le tte r of W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rna-tional, and is publis h e d in Englis h , Spanis h , Fre nch and Ge rm an. Th is is is s ue 76, Nove m be r 2007. Th is is s ue of Th e Brok e n Rifle w as produce d by Andre as Spe ck . Spe cial th ank s go to all th os e w h o provide d inform ation for th e Pris one rs for Pe ace H onour Roll. If you w ant e xtra copie s of th is is s ue of Th e Brok e n Rifle , ple as e contact th e W RI office , or dow nload it from our w e bs ite .

W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational,5 Cale donian Road,London N1 9 DX, Britainte l + 44-20-7278 4040fax + 44-20-7278 0444info@ w ri-irg.orgh ttp://w ri-irg.org/pubs /br76-e n.h tm

No 76, Nove m be r 2007

Support antim ilitaris ts in Turk e y1 De ce m be r: Pris one rs for Peace Day

Antim ilitaris t prote s t in Turk e y

Arm e niaAlth ough Arm e nia pas s e d a law on con-s cie ntious obje ction in 2004, th e country continue s to im pris on cons cie ntious obje c-tors . Many cons cie ntious obje ctors als o re fus e to s e rve s ubs titute s e rvice , as it is controlle d by th e M inis try of De fe nce . An am e ndm e nt to th e law on cos ncie ntious obje ction now provide s for th e pros e cution of obje ctors w h o re fus e to pe rform s ubs titute s e rvice .In May 2006, Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s COs applie d to th e Europe an Court of H um an Righ ts , s tating a violation of th e ir h um an righ t to cons cie ntious obje ction.

Eritre aPaulos Eyas s u (24/09 /19 9 4— )Ne ge de Te k le m ariam (24/09 /19 9 4— )Is aac Mogos (24/09 /19 9 4— )Aron Abrah a (09 /05/2001— )Mus s ie Fe s s e h aye (June 2003— )Am bak om Ts e ge zab (Fe bruary 2004— )Be m ne t Fe s s e h aye (Fe bruary 2005— )H e nok Gh e bru (Fe bruary 2005— )+ aaSaw a Pris on, Eritre a

Am anue l Te s fae ndrias (March 2005— )+ W ia Pris on, Eritre aAll toge th e r nine Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s are im pris one d for cons cie ntious obje ction to m ilitary s e rvice . Th re e Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s are im pris one d s ince 24 Se pte m be r 19 9 4, for re fus ing to pe rform m ilitary s e rvice . All th re e h ave ne ve r be e n ch arge d for th e ir "crim e ". Th e m axim um pe nalty for cons cie ntious obje ction is th re e ye ars .

FinlandAlth ough unde r pre s s ure from th e UN and oth e r inte rnational ins titutions , Finland continue s to im pris on total obje ctors , and re fus e s to bring its law on s ubs titute s e rvice in line w ith inte rnational s tandards . On 1 Octobe r, 20 total obje ctors w e re in pris on, but only five w h o w ill s till be in pris on on 1

De ce m be r gave pe rm is s ion to publis h th e ir nam e s .

Matias Silm une n (01/10/07— April 08)+ Käyrän vank ila, Pappilantie 36, 21370

Aura k k , Finland

Kris tian Valk one n (28/08/07— 09 /02/08)+ Satak unnan vank ila, H uittis te n os as to,

PL59 , 32701 H uittine n, Finland

Pe rtti Majande r (25/06/07— 26/12/07)+ Vilppulan vank ila, Kotinie m e ntie 67,

35700 Vilppula, Finland

Jani As ik aine n (10/07/07— 30/01/08)+ Naarajärve n vank ila, PL 1, 76851

Naarajärvi, Finland

Tatu Marttila (04/09 /07— 20/03/08)+ Jok e lan vank ila/avo-os as to, PL 20,

05401 Jok e la, Finland

Is rae lIs rae l continnue s to im pris on draft re s is te rs for th e re fus al to e nlis t in th e Is rae li m ilitary. H ow e ve r, th e Is rae li practice of im pos ing dis ciplinary s e nte nce s of up to 5 w e e k s re pe ate dly m ak e s it im pos s ible to pre dict now w h o w ill be in pris on on 1 De ce m be r. Ple as e ch e ck W RI's w e bs ite for update s and ne w ale rts at h ttp://w ri-irg.org/ne w s /ale rts .

Pue rto RicoJos é Pére z Gonzále z (21519 -069 )(five ye ars – out 15/01/08)+ CCM Miam i, Com m unity Corre ctions

Office , 401 N. Miam i Ave ., M iam i, FL33128, USA

H as be e n s e nte nce d for cons piracy, dam age to fe de ral prope rty, and/or probation violation on 01/05/03 for re s is ting th e US m ilitary bom bardm e nt of Vie q ue s , Pue rto Rico.

Rus s iaIgor Sutyagin (15 ye ars )+ 163050, Ark h ange ls k ; Ul. Piros ovaya, d.

27; FGU IK-1, 5 otryad; Rus s iaIm pris one d s ince 27/10/19 9 9 , now convicte d of e s pionage for re s e arch ing public nucle ar w e apons inform ation – s e nte nce d 07/04/04.

South Kore aIn 2004, th e country's Supre m e Court and Cons titutional Court rule d agains t th e righ t to cons cie ntious obje ction. Th e re are about

1,000 cons cie n-tious obje ctors in pris on, th e gre at

m ajority of th e m Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s . In Nove m be r 2006, th e Unite d Nations H um an Righ ts Com m itte e de cide d th at not to provide for cons cie ntious obje ction is a violation of Article 18 of th e Inte rnational Cove nant on Civil and Political Righ ts . Still, COs continue to be im pris one d in South Kore a.

Kim Ch is oo (No. 349 8, 13/09 /07— 13/03/09 )+ Se oul Jail, Box 20 P.O. Gunpouch e guk

Gye onggi-do, Kore a, 437-702 Yoo Mins e ok (No. 1535, 17/08/07— 17/02/09 )+ Ye oju Pris on / Box 30 P.O. Ye ojuuch e -

guk Ye oju-e up, Ye oju-gun Gye onggi-do, Kore a, 469 -885

Jung Jae h oon (No. 2542, 22/05/07— 22/11/08)+ Ye ongde ungpo Jail / Box 164 P.O.,

Se oulge um ch e onuch e guk , Kore a, 152-707 Kim Doh yung (No. 9 06, 26/01/06— e nd/12/07, re le as e on parole )+ Ye ongde ungpo Pris on / Box 165 P.O.

Ge um ch e onuch e guk Se oul, Kore a, 152-707

Park Ch ul (No. 2426, 07/11/06— 07/05/08)+ Ye ongde ungpo Jail / Box 164 P.O.

Se oulge um ch e onuch e guk , Kore a, 152-707

Song Inw ook (No. 9 07, 23/11/06— 23/05/08)+ Ye ongde ungpo Pris on / Box 165 P.O.

Ge um ch e onuch e guk Se oul, Kore a, 152-707

Park Kyungs oo (No. 19 74, 14/12/06— 14/06/08)+ Se ongdong Jail / Box 177 P.O.

Songpauch e guk Se oul, Kore a, 138-709

Turk e yPre s e ntly, no non-re ligious obje ctor is in pris on. But W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational k now s of s e ve ral cas e s of Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s , im pris one d for re fus ing m ilitary s e rvice bas e d on th e ir re ligious be lie f.Çağlar Buldu is pre s e ntly in th e m ilitary pris on of Afyon. From 28 April 2005 to 13 July 2006 h e s pe nt 15 m onth in pris on. H e w as arre s te d again on 24 Se pte m be r 2007, and w ill probably be im pris one d in Afyon until 20 Nove m be r. H e is th e n lik e ly to be trans fe rre d to a civilian pris on to s e rve a re m aining s e nte nce of 43 days . Unfortunate ly W RI doe s not h ave an addre s s for h im .

Bariş Görm e z w as arre s te d on 22 Octobe r, w h e n h e re porte d to th e re cruitm e nt office .

H e is pre s e ntly unde r arre s t at th e Is tanbul Mas lak City Ge ndarm e Com m ande rs h ip, and it is e xpe cte d th at h e w ill s oon be trans fe rre d to h is unit in Antalya. It is pre s e ntly not k now h ow long h e w ill be in pris on.

Turk m e nis tanIn 2007, Turk m e nis tan again im pris one d Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s for th e ir cons cie n-tious obje ction to m ilitary s e rvice – m os t re ce ive d s us pe nde d pris on s e nte nce s . Afte r an am ne s ty in Octobe r 2007, tw o con-s cie ntious obje ctors s till h ave to s e rve th e ir s us pe nde d s e nte nce s , w ith re s trictions on th e ir fre e dom of m ove m e nt.Not fre e d unde r am ne s ty w e re Je h ovah 's W itne s s e s Bayram As h irge ldyye v and Be ge nch Sh ak h m uradov. Both are s e rving tw o-ye ar s us pe nde d s e nte nce s im pos e d th is s um m e r.

USAH e le n W oods on (03231-045) (106 m onth s ― out 09 /09 /11)+ FMC Cars w e ll, Max Unit, POB 27137,

Ft. W orth , TX 76127Anti-w ar prote s t at th e fe de ral courth ous e , Kans as City, Mis s ouri, on 11/03/04 in violation of parole follow ing re le as e from pris on on 03/09 /04. Ple d guilty to violation and four ne w ch arge s on 18/06/04.

Jos e ph Donato (40884-050) (27 m onth s — out 31/01/08)+ CCM Ph ilade lph ia, 2nd Ch e s tnut St.,

Ph ilade lph ia, PA 19 106, USAConvicte d in De ce m be r 2004 for re fus al to pay w ar taxe s on re ligious grounds

Rafil Dh afir (119 21-052) (22 ye ars — out 26/04/22)+ FCI Te rre H aute , POB 33, Te rre H aute , IN 47808Convicte d for providing h um anitarian and financial aid to Iraq is in violation of US s anctions , Fe bruary 2005

Louis Vitale (25803-048) (5 m onth s — out 14/03/08)Ste ph e n Ke lly (00816-111) (5 m onth s — out 14/03/08)+ c/o th e Nucle ar Re s is te r, POB 43383, Tucs on,

AZ 85733, USAPraye rful tre s pas s to de live r le tte r in prote s t of official torture policy at US Arm y Inte llige nce H e adq uarte rs , Ft. H uach uca, Sie rra Vis ta, Ariz ona, 6 Nove m be r

2 Th e Brok e n Rifle No 76, Nove m be r 2007Pris one rs for Pe ace

Pris one rs for Pe ace H onour Roll 2007

Action• On 1 De ce m be r, put as ide at le as t one h our and w rite at le as t four cards to

pris one rs ;• Ge t your pe ace group or clas s or m e e ting place to organis e a card-w riting

s e s s ion;• Se t up a s tall in your tow n ce ntre , pe rform a bit of s tre e t th e atre , or do w h ate ve r

e ls e it tak e s to attract atte ntion and inte re s t.

Se nding cards and le tte rs• Alw ays s e nd your card in an e nve lope ;• Include a re turn nam e and addre s s on th e e nve lope ;• Be ch atty and cre ative : s e nd ph otos from your life , draw ings ;• Te ll pris one rs w h at you are doing to s top w ar and w ar pre parations ;• Don't w rite anyth ing th at m igh t ge t th e pris one r into trouble ;• Th ink about th e s ort of th ing you'd lik e to re ce ive if you w e re in pris on;• Don't be gin, "You are s o brave , I could ne ve r do w h at you h ave done ";• Don't e xpe ct th e pris one r to re ply;• Re m e m be r— ne xt ye ar it could be you ...

Support our future w orkFor 49 ye ars , W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational h as publicis e d th e nam e s and s torie s of pris one rs of cons cie nce . H e lp us k e e p up th e tradition. Se nd in a s pe cial PfP donation to W RI to h e lp fund ne xt ye ar's re s e arch .Se nd contributions to: W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational, 5 Cale donian Rd, London N1 9 DX, Britain (te l + 44-20-7278 4040; fax 7278 0444; e m ail pfp@ w ri-irg.org).Your outre ach to pris one rs doe s m ak e a diffe re nce . Sh ow your s olidarity!Donate online , and/or vis it W RI's w e bs h op, w h e re you can orde r W RI publications and Brok e n Rifle badge s us ing your cre dit or de bit card, at h ttp://w ri-irg.org/s h op/s h op-uk .h tmOnline ve rs ion: h ttp://w ri-irg.org for all four language ve rs ions of th e PfP 2007 pack .

H ow th e lis t w ork sFirs t are pris one rs ' nam e s (in bold),

follow e d by th e ir s e nte nce , th e n th e ir place of im pris onm e nt w ith � +� and, finally th e re as on for th e ir de te ntion.

Inform ation about countrie s w h e re pris one rs h ave h ad th e ir s e nte nce s s us pe nde d, or w h e re s e nte nce s h ave be e n s e rve d or com ple te d during th e ye ar, are in italics .

22/03/08 — NATO Gam e Ove r:Re s is t Military Globalis ation!

Five ye ars afte r th e Iraq w ar s tarte d: an inte rnational action w e e k e nd at NATO's h e adq uarte rs in Brus s e ls , Be lgium .

Follow e d by th e s e m inar organis e d by Bom bs potting and W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational "Military globalis ation and nonviole nt re s is tance in Europe ".

Inte re s te d? contact: inte rnational@ bom bs potting.be

h ttp://vre de s actie .be /h ttp://w ri-irg.org

Th e cas e of Os m an Murat Ülk e

Os m an Murat Ülk e de clare d h is cons cie ntious obje ction and burne d h is call-up pape rs on 1 Se pte m be r 19 9 5 in Iz m ir. H e w as arre s te d m ore th an a ye ar late r – on 7 Octobe r 19 9 6 – on ch arge s of Article 155, "alie na-ting th e pe ople from th e m ili-tary". Once in th e h ands of th e m ilitary, h e als o w as trans fe rre d to h is m ilitary unit, w h e re h e re fus e d to obe y any orde rs , and w as re pe ate dly ch arge d w ith "dis obe die nce ", le ading to w h at th e Europe an Court of H um an Righ ts late r calle d a "cons tant alte rnation be tw e e n pros e cution and te rm s of im -pris onm e nt", w h ich las te d until h is re le as e 2½ ye ars late r, s till officially oblige d to pe rform m ili-tary s e rvice , and th us de s tine d to live a clande s tine life .

On 24 January 2006, th e ECH R rule d th at h is tre atm e nt am ounte d to "civil de ath " and a violation of Article 3 of th e Euro-pe an Conve ntion on H um an Righ ts , s e nte ncing Turk e y to pay com pe ns ation. H ow e ve r, w h ile Os m an re ce ive d th e com pe ns ation, th e s ituation did not ch ange . In June 2007, h e re ce ive d a ne w arre s t w arrant for th e re m ainde r of a s e nte nce dating back to 19 9 9 . Turk e y is th us de fying th e Europe an Court of H um an Righ ts .

Th e Council of Europe e m -ph as iz e d in a m e e ting in Octo-be r 2007 th at ECH R judge - m e nts "h ave dire ct applicability in Turk is h le gal orde r by virtue of Article 9 0 of th e Turk is h Cons titution", and urge d Turk e y to finally put an e nd to th e vio-lation of Os m an's righ ts . Th e cas e s till continue s ...

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Th e Brok e n Rifle No 76, Nove m be r 2007 Pris one rs for Pe ace

Lis t of de clare d Turk is h cons cie ntious obje ctors1 19 89 , De ce m be r Tayfun Gonul İSTANBUL2 19 9 0, Fe bruary Ve dat Z e ncir IZ MIR3 19 9 3, January 16 Erk an Calpur IZ MIR4 19 9 3, January 16 Atilla Ak ar IZ MIR5 19 9 3, January 16 Yus uf Dogan IZ MIR6 19 9 3, March Yavuz Atan İSTANBUL7 19 9 4, May 17 Gök h an De m irk ıran İSTANBUL8 19 9 4, May 17 Arif H ik m e t Iyidogan İSTANBUL9 19 9 5, Se pte m be r 1 Os m an Murat Ülk e IZ MIR10 2000, May 15 Uğur Yorulm az İSTANBUL11 2000, May 15 Tim uçin Kız ılay İSTANBUL12 2000, May 15 H as an Cim e n İSTANBUL13 2001, Octobe r 27 Me h m e t Tarh an İSTANBUL14 2001, Octobe r 27 Erde m Yalcink aya İSTANBUL15 2003, January 22 Me h m e t Bal MERSIN16 2003, January 24 Erk an Ers oz İSTANBUL17 2003, January 24 Se rtac Girgin İSTANBUL18 2003, January 24 Em ir Une r İSTANBUL19 2003, January 24 Mus tafa Se yh oglu İSTANBUL20 2003, May 15 Sam i Se rk an Kaz ak İSTANBUL21 2003, May 15 Ah m e t Ce m Oz turk İSTANBUL22 2003, Nove m be r 20 Tugk an Tug IZ MIR23 2004, May 15 Mah m ut Elk us İSTANBUL24 2004, May 15 Ce m al Karak us İSTANBUL25 2004, May 15 Ers an Ugur Gor İSTANBUL26 2004, May 15 Yas ar One r İSTANBUL27 2004, May 15 Inci Aglagul İSTANBUL28 2004, May 15 Ebru Topal İSTANBUL29 2004, May 15 Yonte m Yurts e ve r İSTANBUL30 2004, May 15 Naz an As k e ran İSTANBUL31 2004, May 15 H urriye t Se ne r İSTANBUL32 2004, June 28 Dogan Oz k an İSTANBUL33 2004, June 28 Sinan Dundar İSTANBUL34 2004, Se pte m be r 5 Om e r Se z e r ANKARA35 2004, Se pte m be r 5 Im dat Sanli ANKARA36 2004, Se pte m be r 5 Is m ail Sabanci ANKARA37 2004, Se pte m be r 5 Salih Arik an ANKARA38 2004, Se pte m be r 5 H as an Ak yure k ANKARA39 2004, Se pte m be r 5 Le ve nt Duranyan ANKARA40 2004, Se pte m be r 23 Ce ylan Oz e re ngin İSTANBUL41 2004, Octobe r 4 Sah in Oz bay İSTANBUL42 2004, Octobe r 28 Ne cde t Oz ak tin İSTANBUL43 2004, Nove m be r 26 H alil Savda CORLU44 2004, De ce m be r 18 Ve li Ak dag IZ MIR45 2005, January 3 Ne cati Balbay LULEBURGAZ46 2005, May 14 Fe rda Ulk e r IZ MIR47 2005, May 14 Ayte n De m ir IZ MIR48 2005, May 14 Yah s an Catak IZ MIR49 2005, May 14 H ilal De m ir IZ MIR50 2005, May 14 Bule nt Be k tas IZ MIR51 2005, May 14 Ays e Girgin IZ MIR52 2005, May 14 Me h m e t Od IZ MIR53 2005, May 14 Fik re t Ye tis e ne r IZ MIR54 2005, May 14 Eyle m Baris IZ MIR55 2005, May 14 Ercan Ak tas IZ MIR56 2005, Augus t 3 Fige n İSTANBUL57 2005, Augus t 3 Erk an Ye rtutan İSTANBUL58 2006, May 15 Ah m e t Oz de m ir ANKARA59 2006, Nove m be r 15 İs m ail Saygı İSTANBUL60 2007, April 19 Gök h an Aydın KOCAELI61 2007, May 13 Ah m e t As lan İSTANBUL62 2007, May 20 Ö z le m Mollam e h m e toğlu İSTANBUL

Cons cie ntious obje ction in Turk e y

"Patriotic s e rvice is a righ t and duty for e ve ry Turk is h citiz e n", s tate s article 72 of th e Turk is h cons titution. Military s e rvice is th us a s e e m ingly ine vitable part of a Turk is h m an's life , and th e th ough t th at a m an w h o is not ph ys ically unfit w ould not s e rve in th e country's m ilitary can alm os t not be voice d in public. Turk e y as a m ilitary-nation and th e m yth th at "e ve ry Turk is born a s oldie r" h as be e n care fully crafte d s ince th e e arly tim e s of th e ne w Turk is h re public, and only re ce ntly doe s th is m yth be gin to s h ow crack s .

A cons cie ntious obje ction m ove m e nt

In De ce m be r 19 89 , Tayfun Gönül w as th e firs t pe rs on to publicly de clare h is cons cie ntious obje ction, s oon to be follow e d by Ve dat Z e ncir in Fe bruary 19 9 0. Both cas e s re ce ive d q uite a lot of public atte ntion, and in De ce m be r 19 9 2 th e firs t Turk is h W ar Re s is te rs As s ociation w as s e t up in Iz m ir – th e be ginning of w h at can m aybe be calle d a cons cie ntious obje ction m ove m e nt.

In th e follow ing ye ars , s e ve ral young m e n de clare d th e ir cons cie ntious obje ction, and in 19 9 3 th e Inte rnational Cons cie ntious Obje ction Me e ting (ICOM) in Ö re n in Turk e y inje cte d a lot of e nth us ias m and e ne rgy into th e young m ove m e nt.

Initially, th e m ove m e nt m ainly face d pros e cution unde r Article 155 (now 318 – s e e Article on page 4), but no cons cie ntious obje ctor w e nt to pris on for h is obje ction. Th is only ch ange d w ith th e arre s t of Os m an Murat Ülk e on 7 Octobe r 19 9 6 (s e e righ t colum n). H ow e ve r, e ve n during th e tim e of Os m an's im pris onm e nt th e Turk is h gove rnm e nt avoide d to im pris on oth e r de clare d cons cie ntious obje ctors , alth ough s om e trie d to provok e th e ir arre s t.

In March 19 9 9 Os m an Murat Ülk e w as re le as e d from pris on, back to a clande s tine life . Since th e n, s e ve ral oth e r cons cie ntious obje ctors s pe nt tim e in pris on –

H alil Savda, Me h m e t Bal, Me h m e t Tarh an – only to be re le as e d afte r s e ve ral m onth s into a life am ounting to "civil de ath ".

Ne ve rth e le s s , up to now m ore th an 60 pe ople h ave publicly de clare d th e ir cons cie ntious obje ction, de m anding a righ t th at Turk e y doe s not w ant to re cognis e .

Progre s s ?Initially, th e ECH R judge m e nt

in th e cas e of Os m an Murat Ülk e rais e d h ope th at s oon th e s ituation could be re s olve d. H ow e ve r, re ce nt de ve lopm e nts are le s s pos itive – e s pe cially th e obs tructive be h aviour of th e Turk is h s tate w h e n it com e s to th e im ple m e ntation of th e ECH R judge m e nt in th e cas e of Os m an Murat Ülk e .

But Ülk e 's cas e is not th e only ne gative indicator: in th e cas e of a Je h ovah 's W itne s s obje ctor, th e M ilitary Court of Cas s ation in Ank ara rule d on 29 May 2007 th at re pe ate d punis h m e nt for 'pe rs is te nt dis obe die nce ' is law ful - again in com ple te ignorance of th e judge m e nt of th e ECH R in th e cas e of Os m an Murat Ülk e . Th e court doe s not e ve n s e e a ne e d to argue its cas e agains t th e ECH R judge m e nt.

H ow e ve r, in its com m unication w ith th e Council of Europe on th e im ple m e ntation of th e ECH R judge m e nt, th e Turk is h gove rnm e nt s aid th at a law is unde r pre paration th at w ill put an e nd to th e violation of h um an righ ts th at Ülk e and oth e r cons cie ntious obje ctors face d and s till face . Nobody k now s th is draft law ye t, and it h as to be note d th at now h e re doe s th e Turk is h gove rnm e nt m e ntion th at th is w ill re cognis e th e righ t to cons cie ntious obje ction. It m igh t tak e m ore ECH R judge m e nts to convince Turk e y th at cons cie ntious obje ction is a h um an righ t...

More inform ation:h ttp://w ri-irg.org/co/turk cam paign-e n.h tm

Eve r s ince th e be ginning of th e antim ilitaris t m ove m e nt in Tur-k e y, Turk is h antim ilitaris ts did not only h ave to w orry about pe rs e cu-tion for re fus ing to join th e m ilit-ary, but e ve n for s pe ak ing out agains t m ilitaris m . In fact, m os t if th e firs t pros e cutions of Turk is h an-tim ilitaris ts w e re unde r th e th e n Article 155 Turk is h Pe nal Code , title d “alie nating th e pe ople from th e m ilitary”. Re ce ntly, as part of th e ove rh aul of th e Turk is h Pe nal Code to com ply w ith de m ands from th e Europe an Union, th e art-icle h as be e n re num be re d: it now is Article 318. H ow e ve r, th e con-te nt did not ch ange s ignificantly.

W h e n Tayfun Gönül and Ve d-at Z e ncir firs t de clare d th e ir con-s cie ntious obje ction back in 19 89 , th e y w e re not pros e cute d and s e n-te nce d for re fus ing m ilitary s e r-vice , but unde r Article 155. Sim ilarly, th e firs t CO activis ts , COs th e m s e lve s , and journalis ts w h o inte rvie w e d th e m w e re pro-s e cute d and ofte n s e nte nce d un-de r Article 155. An im portant e arly cas e w as th e cas e of Erh an Ak yıldız and Ali Te vfik in 19 9 3. Both w e re trie d be caus e th e y inte r-vie w e d Ayte k Ö z e l, ch air of th e SKD and a CO, for th e TV ch an-ne l H BB on 8 De ce m be r 19 9 3.

Th e produce r Erh an Ak yıldız and th e re porte r Ali Te vfik Be rbe r w e re arre s te d on orde r of th e Ch ie f of Staff and trie d at a m ilit-ary court – th e firs t tim e civilian w e re trie d in a m ilitary court. Ar-re s t w arrants w e re is s ue d for Ayte k Ö z e l and th e CO. Erh an Ak yildiz and Ali Te vfik Be rbe r re -ce ive d th e m inim um s e nte nce of tw o m onth s ' im pris onm e nt, and Ayte k Ö z e l, w h o s urre nde re d to th e m ilitary court in Ank ara on 8 Fe bruary 2004, w as s e nte nce d to one ye ar, 15 days ' im pris onm e nt. Th e im portant e le m e nt of th is cas e w as th e fact th at afte r th e s tate s e curity court h ad rule d not to be com pe te nt,th e w ay w as ope ne d for civilians to be trie d at m ilitary courts .

Als o in th e cas e of Os m an

Murat Ülk e , th e firs t Turk is h con-s cie ntious obje ctor to be im -pris one d for h is cons cie ntious obje ction, th e firs t trials h e face d – and th e firs t s e nte nce s pas s e d on h im – w e re in re lation to Art-icle 155. Th e firs t trial h e face d afte r h is arre s t on 7 Octobe r 19 9 6 w as about Article 155 – alie nating th e pe ople from th e m ilitary th rough h is public burning of h is draft pape rs and h is de claration as cons cie ntious obje ctor.

More re ce ntly, s ince th e s o-calle d “pe nal re form ”, th e re h ave be e n s e ve ral cas e s of pros e cu-tion unde r now Article 318. Cas e s include :• Dogh an Ö z k an, an activis t of

th e CO platform of th e Is tan-bul branch of th e H um an Righ ts As s ociation (IH D) gave a public addre s s to th e pre s s on 12 De ce m be r 2004, and w as s ubs e q ue ntly s e nte nce d to 5 m onth s im pris onm e nt on 20 Se pte m be r 2006. Th e s e n-te nce w as com m ute d to a fine of 3000 YTL. An appe al is s till pe nding.

• Pe rih an Mag-de n w as ch arge d w ith violation of Article 318 for an article “cons cie n-tious obje c-tion is a h um an righ t”, publis h e d in Ye ni Ak tue l on 27 De ce m be r 2005. Sh e w as acq uitte d on 27 July 2006, be -caus e th e court uph e ld th e righ t to

fre e dom of s pe e ch and e x-pre s s ion.

• Birgul Ozbaris , a journalis t for th e ne w s pape r Oz gur Gun-de m , w as ch arge d w ith s e ve n s e parate accounts of violating Article 318. In total, s h e is fa-cing up to 21 ye ars of im pris -onm e nt.

• Gök h an Ge ncay, a journalis t w ith Birgün ne w s pape r, w as ch arge d w ith violation of Art-icle 318 for an inte rvie w w ith cons cie ntious obje ctor Erk an Bolat, publis h e d on 10 Octo-be r 2005. H is cas e w as dis -m is s e d by th e H igh Crim inal Court, th ough .

• H alil Savda not only face s ch arge s for h is cons cie ntious obje ction, but w as als o ch arge d unde r Article 318, be -caus e h e re ad out a s olidarity s tate m e nt for Is rae li cons cie n-tious obje ctors in front of th e Is rae li cons ulate in Is tanbul.It is obvious th at Article 318

(and pre vious ly Article 155) are be ing us e d to s ile nce dis s e nt. Any criticis m of th e Turk is h m ilit-ary can pote ntially le ad to pros e c-ution and a pris on s e nte nce unde r Article 318. Th us , an ope n de bate about th e role of th e m ilit-ary in Turk e y's s ocie ty is alm os t im pos s ible .

Article 318 s tipulate s an up-pe r lim it of 2 ye ars ' im pris onm e nt, and th re e ye ars in cas e s w h e re th e “crim e ” is com m itte d via th e pre s s . H ow e ve r, in June th is ye ar, Article 318 w as brough t w ith in th e com pas s of th e Turk is h Anti-Te r-ror-Code , labe lling cons cie ntious obje ction an “organis e d crim e ” and “dange r”, and e ffe ctive ly in-cre as ing th e pote ntial pris on te rm s up to 4.5 ye ars im pris on-m e nt.

Turk is h antim ilitaris ts h ave now s tarte d a cam paign agains t Article 318, de m anding Article 318 to be abolis h e d, and all pe nding trials to be im m e diate ly dis m is s e d. Support for th is cam -paign is ve ry w e lcom e .

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Th e Brok e n Rifle No 76, Nove m be r 2007Pris one rs for Pe ace

Article 318: Sile ncing dis s e ntTh e Turk is h m ilitary's not s o s e cre t w e apon agains t antim ilit-aris ts

Article 318:

(1) Pe rs ons w h o give in-ce ntive s or m ak e s ugge s -tions or s pre ad propaganda w h ich w ill h ave th e e ffe ct of dis cour-aging pe ople from pe r-form ing m ilitary s e rvice s h all be s e nte nce d to im -pris onm e nt for a te rm of s ix m onth s to tw o ye ars .(2) If th e act is com m itte d th rough th e m e dium of th e pre s s and m e dia, th e pe nalty s h all be in-cre as e d by h alf.