Webinar: Conscientious objection and international solidarity - the case of Turkey

Date and Time: 14th May, 3:30pm BST, 4:30pm CEST, 5:30pm Turkey  

The webinar series Campaigning for Conscientious Objection to Military Service continues with a new event marking International Conscientious Objection Day. 

In our next webinar, we are focusing on Turkey with campaigners and conscientious objectors (COs) who will share information on the experiences of COs in Turkey as well as their campaigns.

In Turkey, there is conscription and the right to conscientious objection isn’t recognised. It means that anyone who refuses to perform compulsory military service faces lifetime persecution, including continuous arrest warrants and repeated prosecutions amounting to “civil death” – a term being used to describe their exclusion from social, cultural and economic life.

In this webinar, we will hear directly from COs themselves as well as the activists who campaign for the recognition of the right to conscientious objection in Turkey. 

Speakers will include:

• Dr Mine Yıldırım, Head of the Freedom of Belief Initiative, Norwegian Helsinki Committee 
• Merve Arkun, Coordinator, Conscientious Objection Association, Turkey
• Seyda Can Yılmaz, Conscientious objector
• Onur Erden, Conscientious objector
• Ercan Jan Aktaş, Conscientious objector

For more background information on conscientious objection in Turkey and our campaign on International Conscientious Objection Day, see here.

Date and Time

14th May, 3:30pm BST, 4:30pm CEST, 5:30pm Turkey  

Registration

This event is free however registration is required. Please use the link here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcld-2vrjktH9OKOVFc7g8q3k2sRCmOKYaC

Language/Translation

This event will be in English, Turkish and Spanish. 

The event will last for 1 hour and 30 minutes including Q&A in the end. The webinar will also be followed by a 30-minute community forum allowing a space for attendees to share any relevant updates from their work and countries.

This webinar is part of a series Campaigning for Conscientious Objection to Military Service organised by War Resisters’ International, Quaker United Nations Office and International Fellowship of Reconciliation. Follow us on our websites and social media for updates on future events.

We are looking forward to meeting you on 14th May!