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Broken Rifle No.76, November 2007

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Prisoners for Peace Day 2007: Support antimilitarists in Turkey

Support antimilitarists in Turkey

In January 2007, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg decided on the case of Turkish conscientious objector Osman Murat Ülke, who between 1997 and 1999 spent 2 1/2 years in military prison on numerous charges of „disobedience". The court ruled: „The numerous criminal prosecutions against the applicant, the cumulative effects of the criminal convictions which resulted from them and the constant alternation between prosecutions and terms of imprisonment, together with the possibility that he would be liable to prosecution for the rest of his life, [...] were more calculated to repressing the applicant's intellectual personality, inspiring in him feelings of fear, anguish and vulnerability capable of humiliating and debasing him and breaking his resistance and will. The clandestine life amounting almost to "civil death" which the applicant had been compelled to adopt was incompatible with the punishment regime of a democratic society." In conclusion this amounted to a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

So far, so well, one could say. After more then seven years, the case finally comes to an end. However, this unfortunately is not the case. Osman Murat Ülke is still living the clandestine life the European Court complained about, although he received compensation from the Turkish state. And in June 2007 he received a new arrest warrant, ordering him to serve outstanding prison time from 1999. When Osman Murat Ülke's lawyer appealed against the arrest warrant to the Eskisehir military court, the court decided that everything is fine with the arrest warrant, because the ECHR did not order a retrial, and therefore the earlier sentences are still enforceable, even though that might amount to a violation of Article 3.

This blatant affront to the ECHR by a Turkish military court is not a coincidence: through their conscientious objection, objectors attack the very heart of Turkish militarism.

Militarism as state doctrine

Militarism is the main founding principle of the Turkish Republic, only to be matched by laicism, of which the military is the self-appointed guardian. The Turkish Republic was formed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 23 October 1923, following four years of "war of independence", lead by Atatürk. The new Turkish state implemented a series of reforms to break the power of Islam, and to "modernise" - "westernise" - Turkey: adoption of the European calendar (1926), change from the Arabic to a Latin based alphabet (1928), new civil and penal codes based on the Swiss and Italian codes (1926), among others. However, the new Turkish state was far from being democratic: "From the promulgation of the Law of Maintenance of Order in March 1925, Turkey's government was an authoritarian one-party regime, and, not to put too fine a point on it, a dictatorship" (Zürcher).

However, these reforms went hand in hand with the creation of a "myth of a military nation" (Altinay), with obligatory military service for men as a centrepiece. As soon as practically possible - with the first census of 1927 - the new Turkish Republic introduced universal conscription, boosting military strength from around 78,000 in 1922 to 800,000 in 1939/40. Along with this went the creation of the myth "every (male) Turk is born a soldier" - something today deeply ingrained in the dominant Turkish culture.

The Turkish military until now plays an important role in Turkey's public and political life. Since the beginning of the Turkish Republic, the military took power three times (1960, 1971, 1980), and staged "silent coup's" several times, forcing its will onto the civilian political elite. According to the Turkish constitution, the General Staff is not accountable to the Ministry of Defence - it only has to coordinate with it.

The events of this year around the election of the new Turkish president Abdullah Gül - member of the moderate Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) - not only highlighted the power struggle between the military, guarding what it interprets as Atatürk's principles - and an increasingly powerful moderate and modernised Islam in Turkey, but also the power struggle between the military and civilian political institutions in general.

The Kurdish issue

Kemalist Turkish nationalism is at odds with the multi-ethnic reality in Turkey. In recent months, the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1919, and the re-emergence of the Kurdish guerilla of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) made the news.

Since 1980, PKK waged a guerilla war against the Turkish state, first with the aim of Kurdish independence, now aimed at autonomy within a Turkish state. The Turkish military responded with full-out war in the Kurdish provinces, a state of emergency and a policy of ethnic cleansing. In 1999, Turkey seized Abdullah Öcalan, then leader of the PKK, who was subsequently sentenced to death, which was commuted to life-long aggravated imprisonment.

While this was a major blow to PKK, the guerilla has since reformed and regained strength. The recent attacks within Turkish territory, and the capture of Turkish soldiers by PKK guerillas, who operate out of Kurdish northern Iraq, sparked tensions between Turkey and Iraq - and subsequently between Turkey and its NATO allies, especially the USA and Britain.

While this issue of the Broken Rifle is going to press, Turkey has amassed 100,000 troops at the border to Iraq, ready to invade, to "root out terrorism". First air strikes on Iraqi territory already took place. Initially, the AKP government had been opposed to a military solution, but the power of the military in Turkey forced it to embrace the position of the military - or to be ignored and sidelined by the military driven agenda. Now, the government is publicly taking an absolute hardline position. As we go to press, the Turkish government had just rejected an Iraqi proposal to solve the conflict.

Andreas Speck

Literature:

Ayse Gül Altinay: The Myth of the Military-Nation. Militarism, Gender, and Education in Turkey. New York, 2004 Erik Jan Zürcher (ed.): Arming the State: Military Conscription in the Middle East and Central Asia 1775-1925. London and New York, 1999

Editorial

Welcome to the special edition of The Broken Rifle for Prisoners for Peace Day - 1 December. This year we focus on the situation in Turkey. We made this decision before the present escalation of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict, which again highlights the power of the military in Turkish society and politics: it is the institution which stands above everything - the government, the constitution, international human rights standards.

While presently - to our knowledge - no conscientious objector or other prisoner for peace is serving a prison term in Turkey, this can change any day. More than 60 individuals publicly declared their conscientious objection since 1989 (this number does not include Jehovah's Witnesses or other religious objectors), and numerous activists and journalists potentially face prison sentences for speaking out against militarism - or reporting on their activities and opinions. Two conscientious objectors - Halil Savda and Enver Aydemir, a Muslim objector - spent time in prison this year and are presently "free", but officially deserters. Other objectors - Osman Murat Ülke, Mehmet Bal, Mehmet Tarhan, to mention just a few - are in a similar situation of "civil death". And all declared conscientious objectors could be imprisoned by police at any time, and handed over to "their" military unit.

In this situation of "civil death" for conscientious objectors, international support is urgently needed. Pressure is even needed so that Turkey implements a decision of the European Court of Human Rights, and even more pressure will be needed for Turkey to finally recognise the human rights of conscientious objectors and antimilitarists.

War Resisters' International has accompanied and supported Turkish war resisters since the very beginning. With your help we will continue to do so.

Andreas Speck

The Broken Rifle

The Broken Rifle is the newsletter of War Resisters' International, and is published in English, Spanish, French and German. This is issue 76, November 2007. This issue of The Broken Rifle was produced by Andreas Speck. Special thanks go to all those who provided information for the Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll. If you want extra copies of this issue of The Broken Rifle, please contact the WRI office, or download it from our website.

War Resisters' International,
5 Caledonian Road,
London N1 9DX, Britain
tel +44-20-7278 4040
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info@wri-irg.org
http://wri-irg.org/pubs/br76-en.htm

Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll 2007

How the list works

First are prisoners' names (in bold), followed by their sentence, then their place of imprisonment, and, finally the reason for their detention.

Information about countries where prisoners have had their sentences suspended, or where sentences have been served or completed during the year, are in italics.

Armenia

Although Armenia passed a law on conscientious objection in 2004, the country continues to imprison conscientious objectors. Many conscientious objectors also refuse to serve substitute service, as it is controlled by the Ministry of Defence. An amendment to the law on cosncientious objection now provides for the prosecution of objectors who refuse to perform substitute service.

In May 2006, Jehovah's Witnesses COs applied to the European Court of Human Rights, stating a violation of their human right to conscientious objection.

Eritrea

Paulos Eyassu (24/09/1994-)
Negede Teklemariam (24/09/1994-)
Isaac Mogos (24/09/1994-)
Aron Abraha (09/05/2001-)
Mussie Fessehaye (June 2003-)
Ambakom Tsegezab (February 2004-)
Bemnet Fessehaye (February 2005-)
Henok Ghebru (February 2005-)
Sawa Prison, Eritrea

Amanuel Tesfaendrias (March 2005-)
Wia Prison, Eritrea

All together nine Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned for conscientious objection to military service. Three Jehovah's Witnesses are imprisoned since 24 September 1994, for refusing to perform military service. All three have never been charged for their "crime". The maximum penalty for conscientious objection is three years.

Finland

Although under pressure from the UN and other international institutions, Finland continues to imprison total objectors, and refuses to bring its law on substitute service in line with international standards. On 1 October, 20 total objectors were in prison, but only five who will still be in prison on 1 December gave permission to publish their names.

Matias Silmunen (01/10/07-April 08)
Käyrän vankila, Pappilantie 36, 21370 Aura kk, Finland

Kristian Valkonen (28/08/07-09/02/08)
Satakunnan vankila, Huittisten osasto, PL59, 32701 Huittinen, Finland

Pertti Majander (25/06/07-26/12/07)
Vilppulan vankila, Kotiniementie 67, 35700 Vilppula, Finland

Jani Asikainen (10/07/07-30/01/08)
Naarajärven vankila, PL 1, 76851 Naarajärvi, Finland

Tatu Marttila (04/09/07-20/03/08)
Jokelan vankila/avo-osasto, PL 20, 05401 Jokela, Finland

Israel

Israel continues to imprison draft resisters for the refusal to enlist in the Israeli military. However, the Israeli practice of imposing disciplinary sentences of up to 5 weeks repeatedly makes it impossible to predict now who will be in prison on 1 December. Please check WRI's website for updates and new alerts at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts .

Puerto Rico

José Pérez González (21519-069)
(five years - out 15/07/08)
CCM Miami, Community Corrections Office, 401 N. Miami Ave., Miami, FL33128, USA
Has been sentenced for conspiracy, damage to federal property, and/or probation violation on 01/05/03 for resisting the US military bombardment of Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Russia

Igor Sutyagin (15 years)
163050, Arkhangelsk; Ul. Pirosovaya, d. 27; FGU IK-1, 5 otryad; Russia
Imprisoned since 27/10/1999, now convicted of espionage for researching public nuclear weapons information - sentenced 07/04/04.

South Korea

In 2004, the country's Supreme Court and Constitutional Court ruled against the right to conscientious objection. There are about 1,000 conscientious objectors in prison, the great majority of them Jehovah's Witnesses. In November 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Committee decided that not to provide for conscientious objection is a violation of Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Still, COs continue to be imprisoned in South Korea.

Kim Chisoo (prisoner No. 3498, 13/09/07-13/03/09)
Seoul Jail, Box 20 P.O. Gunpoucheguk Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 437-702

Yoo Minseok (prisoner No. 1535, 17/08/07-17/02/09)
Yeoju Prison / Box 30 P.O. Yeojuucheguk Yeoju-eup, Yeoju-gun Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 469-885

Jung Jaehoon (prisoner No. 2542, 22/05/07-22/11/08)
Yeongdeungpo Jail / Box 164 P.O., Seoulgeumcheonucheguk, Korea, 152-707

Kim Dohyung (prisoner No. 906, 26/01/06-end/12/07, release on parole)
Yeongdeungpo Prison / Box 165 P.O. Geumcheonucheguk Seoul, Korea, 152-707

Park Chul (prisoner No. 2426, 07/11/06-07/05/08)
Yeongdeungpo Jail / Box 164 P.O. Seoulgeumcheonucheguk, Korea, 152-707

Song Inwook (prisoner No. 907, 23/11/06-23/05/08)
Yeongdeungpo Prison / Box 165 P.O. Geumcheonucheguk Seoul, Korea, 152-707

Park Kyungsoo (prisoner No. 1974, 14/12/06-14/06/08)
Seongdong Jail / Box 177 P.O. Songpaucheguk Seoul, Korea, 138-709

Turkey

Presently, no non-religious objector is in prison. But War Resisters' International knows of several cases of Jehovah's Witnesses, imprisoned for refusing military service based on their religious belief.

Çaglar Buldu is presently in the military prison of Afyon. From 28 April 2005 to 13 July 2006 he spent 15 month in prison. He was arrested again on 24 September 2007, and will probably be imprisoned in Afyon until 20 November. He is then likely to be transferred to a civilian prison to serve a remaining sentence of 43 days. Unfortunately WRI does not have an address for him.

Baris Görmez was arrested on 22 October, when he reported to the recruitment office. He is presently under arrest at the Istanbul Maslak City Gendarme Commandership, and it is expected that he will soon be transferred to his unit in Antalya. It is presently not know how long he will be in prison.

Turkmenistan

In 2007, Turkmenistan again imprisoned Jehovah's Witnesses for their conscientious objection to military service - most received suspended prison sentences. After an amnesty in October 2007, two conscientious objectors still have to serve their suspended sentences, with restrictions on their freedom of movement.

Not freed under amnesty were Jehovah's Witnesses Bayram Ashirgeldyyev and Begench Shakhmuradov. Both are serving two-year suspended sentences imposed this summer.

USA

Helen Woodson (03231-045) (106 months?out 09/09/11)
FMC Carswell, Max Unit, POB 27137, Ft. Worth, TX 76127
Anti-war protest at the federal courthouse, Kansas City, Missouri, on 11/03/04 in violation of parole following release from prison on 03/09/04. Pled guilty to violation and four new charges on 18/06/04.

Joseph Donato (40884-050) (27 months-out 31/01/08)
CCM Philadelphia, 2nd Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
Convicted in December 2004 for refusal to pay war taxes on religious grounds

Rafil Dhafir (11921-052) (22 years-out 26/04/22)
FCI Terre Haute, POB 33, Terre Haute, IN 47808
Convicted for providing humanitarian and financial aid to Iraqis in violation of US sanctions, February 2005

Louis Vitale (25803-048) (5 months-out 14/03/08)
Stephen Kelly (00816-111) (5 months-out 14/03/08)
c/o the Nuclear Resister, POB 43383, Tucson, AZ 85733, USA
Prayerful trespass to deliver letter in protest of official torture policy at US Army Intelligence Headquarters, Ft. Huachuca, Sierra Vista, Arizona, 6 November

Action

Sending cards and letters

Support our future work

For 49 years, War Resisters' International has publicised the names and stories of prisoners of conscience. Help us keep up the tradition. Send in a special PfP donation to WRI to help fund next year's research.

Send contributions to: War Resisters' International, 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX, Britain (tel +44-20-7278 4040; fax 7278 0444; email pfp@wri-irg.org).

Your outreach to prisoners does make a difference. Show your solidarity!

Donate online, and/or visit WRI's webshop, where you can order WRI publications and Broken Rifle badges using your credit or debit card, at http://wri-irg.org/shop/shop-uk.htm

Online version: http://wri-irg.org for all four language versions of the PfP 2007 pack.

List of declared Turkish conscientious objectors

1 1989, December Tayfun Gonul ISTANBUL
2 1990, February Vedat Zencir IZMIR
3 1993, January 16 Erkan Calpur IZMIR
4 1993, January 16 Atilla Akar IZMIR
5 1993, January 16 Yusuf Dogan IZMIR
6 1993, March Yavuz Atan ISTANBUL
7 1994, May 17 Gökhan Demirkiran ISTANBUL
8 1994, May 17 Arif Hikmet Iyidogan ISTANBUL
9 1995, September 1 Osman Murat Ülke IZMIR
10 2000, May 15 Ugur Yorulmaz ISTANBUL
11 2000, May 15 Timuçin Kizilay ISTANBUL
12 2000, May 15 Hasan Cimen ISTANBUL
13 2001, October 27 Mehmet Tarhan ISTANBUL
14 2001, October 27 Erdem Yalcinkaya ISTANBUL
15 2003, January 22 Mehmet Bal MERSIN
16 2003, January 24 Erkan Ersoz ISTANBUL
17 2003, January 24 Sertac Girgin ISTANBUL
18 2003, January 24 Emir Uner ISTANBUL
19 2003, January 24 Mustafa Seyhoglu ISTANBUL
20 2003, May 15 Sami Serkan Kazak ISTANBUL
21 2003, May 15 Ahmet Cem Ozturk ISTANBUL
22 2003, November 20 Tugkan Tug IZMIR
23 2004, May 15 Mahmut Elkus ISTANBUL
24 2004, May 15 Cemal Karakus ISTANBUL
25 2004, May 15 Ersan Ugur Gor ISTANBUL
26 2004, May 15 Yasar Oner ISTANBUL
27 2004, May 15 Inci Aglagul ISTANBUL
28 2004, May 15 Ebru Topal ISTANBUL
29 2004, May 15 Yontem Yurtsever ISTANBUL
30 2004, May 15 Nazan Askeran ISTANBUL
31 2004, May 15 Hurriyet Sener ISTANBUL
32 2004, June 28 Dogan Ozkan ISTANBUL
33 2004, June 28 Sinan Dundar ISTANBUL
34 2004, September 5 Omer Sezer ANKARA
35 2004, September 5 Imdat Sanli ANKARA
36 2004, September 5 Ismail Sabanci ANKARA
37 2004, September 5 Salih Arikan ANKARA
38 2004, September 5 Hasan Akyurek ANKARA
39 2004, September 5 Levent Duranyan ANKARA
40 2004, September 23 Ceylan Ozerengin ISTANBUL
41 2004, October 4 Sahin Ozbay ISTANBUL
42 2004, October 28 Necdet Ozaktin ISTANBUL
43 2004, November 26 Halil Savda CORLU
44 2004, December 18 Veli Akdag IZMIR
45 2005, January 3 Necati Balbay LULEBURGAZ
46 2005, May 14 Ferda Ulker IZMIR
47 2005, May 14 Ayten Demir IZMIR
48 2005, May 14 Yahsan Catak IZMIR
49 2005, May 14 Hilal Demir IZMIR
50 2005, May 14 Bulent Bektas IZMIR
51 2005, May 14 Ayse Girgin IZMIR
52 2005, May 14 Mehmet Od IZMIR
53 2005, May 14 Fikret Yetisener IZMIR
54 2005, May 14 Eylem Baris IZMIR
55 2005, May 14 Ercan Aktas IZMIR
56 2005, August 3 Figen ISTANBUL
57 2005, August 3 Erkan Yertutan ISTANBUL
58 2006, May 15 Ahmet Ozdemir ANKARA
59 2006, November 15 Ismail Saygi ISTANBUL
60 2007, April 19 Gökhan Aydin KOCAELI
61 2007, May 13 Ahmet Aslan ISTANBUL
62 2007, May 20 Özlem Mollamehmetoglu ISTANBUL

Conscientious objection in Turkey

"Patriotic service is a right and duty for every Turkish citizen", states article 72 of the Turkish constitution. Military service is thus a seemingly inevitable part of a Turkish man's life, and the thought that a man who is not physically unfit would not serve in the country's military can almost not be voiced in public. Turkey as a military-nation and the myth that "every Turk is born a soldier" has been carefully crafted since the early times of the new Turkish republic, and only recently does this myth begin to show cracks.

A conscientious objection movement

In December 1989, Tayfun Gönül was the first person to publicly declare his conscientious objection, soon to be followed by Vedat Zencir in February 1990. Both cases received quite a lot of public attention, and in December 1992 the first Turkish War Resisters Association was set up in Izmir - the beginning of what can maybe be called a conscientious objection movement.

In the following years, several young men declared their conscientious objection, and in 1993 the International Conscientious Objection Meeting (ICOM) in Ören in Turkey injected a lot of enthusiasm and energy into the young movement.

Initially, the movement mainly faced prosecution under Article 155 (now 318 - see Article on page 4), but no conscientious objector went to prison for his objection. This only changed with the arrest of Osman Murat Ülke on 7 October 1996 (see right column). However, even during the time of Osman's imprisonment the Turkish government avoided to imprison other declared conscientious objectors, although some tried to provoke their arrest.

In March 1999 Osman Murat Ülke was released from prison, back to a clandestine life. Since then, several other conscientious objectors spent time in prison - Halil Savda, Mehmet Bal, Mehmet Tarhan - only to be released after several months into a life amounting to "civil death".

Nevertheless, up to now more than 60 people have publicly declared their conscientious objection, demanding a right that Turkey does not want to recognise.

Progress?

Initially, the ECHR judgement in the case of Osman Murat Ülke raised hope that soon the situation could be resolved. However, recent developments are less positive - especially the obstructive behaviour of the Turkish state when it comes to the implementation of the ECHR judgement in the case of Osman Murat Ülke.

But Ülke's case is not the only negative indicator: in the case of a Jehovah's Witness objector, the Military Court of Cassation in Ankara ruled on 29 May 2007 that repeated punishment for 'persistent disobedience' is lawful - again in complete ignorance of the judgement of the ECHR in the case of Osman Murat Ülke. The court does not even see a need to argue its case against the ECHR judgement.

However, in its communication with the Council of Europe on the implementation of the ECHR judgement, the Turkish government said that a law is under preparation that will put an end to the violation of human rights that Ülke and other conscientious objectors faced and still face. Nobody knows this draft law yet, and it has to be noted that nowhere does the Turkish government mention that this will recognise the right to conscientious objection. It might take more ECHR judgements to convince Turkey that conscientious objection is a human right...

More information: http://wri-irg.org/co/turkcampaign-en.htm

The case of Osman Murat Ülke

Osman Murat Ülke declared his conscientious objection and burned his call-up papers on 1 September 1995 in Izmir. He was arrested more than a year later - on 7 October 1996 - on charges of Article 155, "alienating the people from the military". Once in the hands of the military, he also was transferred to his military unit, where he refused to obey any orders, and was repeatedly charged with "disobedience", leading to what the European Court of Human Rights later called a "constant alternation between prosecution and terms of imprisonment", which lasted until his release 2 1/2 years later, still officially obliged to perform military service, and thus destined to live a clandestine life.

On 24 January 2006, the ECHR ruled that his treatment amounted to "civil death" and a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, sentencing Turkey to pay compensation. However, while Osman received the compensation, the situation did not change. In June 2007, he received a new arrest warrant for the remainder of a sentence dating back to 1999. Turkey is thus defying the European Court of Human Rights.

The Council of Europe emphasized in a meeting in October 2007 that ECHR judge- ments "have direct applicability in Turkish legal order by virtue of Article 90 of the Turkish Constitution", and urged Turkey to finally put an end to the violation of Osman's rights. The case still continues...

Article 318: Silencing dissent

Article 318:
(1) Persons who give incentives or make suggestions or spread propaganda which will have the effect of discouraging people from performing military service shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of six months to two years.
(2) If the act is committed through the medium of the press and media, the penalty shall be increased by half.

The Turkish military's not so secret weapon against antimilitarists

Ever since the beginning of the antimilitarist movement in Turkey, Turkish antimilitarists did not only have to worry about persecution for refusing to join the military, but even for speaking out against militarism. In fact, most if the first prosecutions of Turkish antimilitarists were under the then Article 155 Turkish Penal Code, titled "alienating the people from the military". Recently, as part of the overhaul of the Turkish Penal Code to comply with demands from the European Union, the article has been renumbered: it now is Article 318. However, the content did not change significantly.

When Tayfun Gönül and Vedat Zencir first declared their conscientious objection back in 1989, they were not prosecuted and sentenced for refusing military service, but under Article 155. Similarly, the first CO activists, COs themselves, and journalists who interviewed them were prosecuted and often sentenced under Article 155. An important early case was the case of Erhan Akyildiz and Ali Tevfik in 1993. Both were tried because they interviewed Aytek Özel, chair of the SKD and a CO, for the TV channel HBB on 8 December 1993.

The producer Erhan Akyildiz and the reporter Ali Tevfik Berber were arrested on order of the Chief of Staff and tried at a military court - the first time civilian were tried in a military court. Arrest warrants were issued for Aytek Özel and the CO. Erhan Akyildiz and Ali Tevfik Berber received the minimum sentence of two months' imprisonment, and Aytek Özel, who surrendered to the military court in Ankara on 8 February 2004, was sentenced to one year, 15 days' imprisonment. The important element of this case was the fact that after the state security court had ruled not to be competent,the way was opened for civilians to be tried at military courts.

Also in the case of Osman Murat Ülke, the first Turkish conscientious objector to be imprisoned for his conscientious objection, the first trials he faced - and the first sentences passed on him - were in relation to Article 155. The first trial he faced after his arrest on 7 October 1996 was about Article 155 - alienating the people from the military through his public burning of his draft papers and his declaration as conscientious objector.

More recently, since the so-called "penal reform", there have been several cases of prosecution under now Article 318. Cases include:

It is obvious that Article 318 (and previously Article 155) are being used to silence dissent. Any criticism of the Turkish military can potentially lead to prosecution and a prison sentence under Article 318. Thus, an open debate about the role of the military in Turkey's society is almost impossible.

Article 318 stipulates an upper limit of 2 years' imprisonment, and three years in cases where the "crime" is committed via the press. However, in June this year, Article 318 was brought within the compass of the Turkish Anti-Terror-Code, labelling conscientious objection an "organised crime" and "danger", and effectively increasing the potential prison terms up to 4.5 years imprisonment.

Turkish antimilitarists have now started a campaign against Article 318, demanding Article 318 to be abolished, and all pending trials to be immediately dismissed. Support for this campaign is very welcome.