Conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan.
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (HILMI ÖZKÖK, Chief of General Staff). You can add your own notes in a separate box after the standard text, if you wish. You must include a name, address, and email address; a copy will be sent to you with a cc to the WRI office (so we have a record of how many email letters have been sent out for this particular case).
Dear HILMI ÖZKÖK, Chief of General Staff
I am very concerned about the trial of conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan, who was arrested at 5am on 8 April 2005. He was held at the police station in Izmir until the recruitment office opened, and then reassigned to a military unit in Tokat, although he had declared himself a conscientious objector.
Conscientious objection is a human right, derived from Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Turkey is a signatory. The arrest of Mehmet Tarhan, and the forced transfer to a military unit, are a violation of his human right to conscientious objection. I therefore fear for his health, and call on you to ensure that he won't be mistreated while imprisoned in a military prison.
I call on you to recognise the right to conscientious objection, and to exempt Mehmet Tarhan from military service. I call on you to immediately release Mehmet Tarhan and all imprisoned conscientious objectors. I urge you to respect human rights.
- Sign and send this protest email