CO-Update

After a summer break we are slowly getting back on schedule with this newsletter of co-update, which is again a double issue, covering July and August. Again, we have some good news report: the United Nation's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considers the imprisonment of Turkish conscientious objector Halil Savda as arbitrary detention (see main article).

Now any detention of conscientious objectors seen as arbitrary detention

One more in the series of legal victories for conscientious objectors in Turkey: The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention dealt with the case of imprisoned Turkish conscientious objector Halil Savdain its session on 9 May 2008, and came to the conclusion that "the deprivation of liber

Azerbaijani delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe opposes passing a bill on conscientious objection

As part of its commitment to the Council of Europe Azerbaijan agreed to recognise the right to conscientious objection when it joined. However, this has so far not happened. "This Bill must be discussed in Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijani parliament).

Poland's defence minister, Bogdan Klich, said the country will move towards a professional army and that from January, only volunteers will join the armed forces.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said on 29 July 2008 that he hopes to change to a voluntary draft system in four to six years. Presently Taiwan's young men who turn 18 or graduate from college are required to serve in the military for one year.

Ma said that college graduates in the IT and electronics fields tend to forget half of what they learn after their conscription term. Not only that, what they have learned will be outdated by the time they go into the workforce.

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

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

[co-alert] DE14946-180708: GERMANY: Total objector recieves fourth disciplinary arrest Concodoc project, Fri 18 July 2008

[co-alert] TK12718-160608: TURKEY: Conscientious objector Mehmet Ba

17-21 September 2008: European Social Forum

War Resisters' International will be present at the European Social Forum (ESF), which is being held in Malmö, in the south of Sweden.