Turkey

By Hilal Demir, War Resisters' International

Why did we, Turkish women, declare conscientious objection though we are not subject to compulsory military service in Turkey? Here I record some problems and dynamics of conscientious objection, the contributions of women’s conscientious objection declarations to the movement, and the resulting discussions.

Living in a patriarchal culture, I think that all the opposition movements, including feminism, have the continuous risk of becoming “masculinized”. This is a risk so strong as to cause the fading away of most movements.

Today's Zaman reported on 31 August 2010 on plans for a reform of the Turkish military. The reform plans, which have been drawn up the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, clash with the ideas put forward by the Turkish government, including the Ministry of Defence.

Amnesty International reports that conscientious objector Halil Savda and three other activists were convicted on 17 June 2010 under Article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code which criminalises ‘alienating the public from military service’.

Turkey has recently increased the pressure on conscientious objectors. As reported in a co-alert on 1 April, conscientious objector Enver Aydemir has been sentenced to ten months imprisonment on 30 March, on charges of desertion.

The Eskişehir Military Court imposed a one-month disciplinary punishment on Turkish conscientious objector Enver Aydemir because of his refusal to wear prison clothes and disobeying of orders, Bianet reported on 11 February 2010. For one month Enver Aydemir is not allowed to see anybody else but his lawyer.

Enver Aydemir was arrested on 24 December 2009

On 24 December 2009, Turkish police arrested conscientious objector Enver Aydemir during a routine check at the ferry port in Kabataş, Istanbul. An arrest warrant for insubordination and possibly desertion, going back to his earlier arrest and detention in 2007, was discovered, and Enver Aydemir was transferred to Doğancılar police station and then to a military police station. He has now been transferred to Eskisehir Military Prison, where he is awaiting his trial.

On 30 October a group of Turkish antimilitarists gathered at the front door of the Israeli Consulate of Istanbul and declared their support for two Israeli conscientious objectors, [name removed] and Or Ben-David, who had been arrested last week for objecting to the war politics of the Israeli governments against the Palestinian people.

According to an article in Today's Zaman, some legal amendments are planned in Turkey to address the issue of conscientious objection, following the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Osman Murat Ülke in January 2006. However, these amendments are far from recognising the right to conscientious objection.

Edited by Özgür Heval Çınar and Coşkun Üsterci, Zed Books, 9 April 2009, ISBN: 978-1-84813-278-8 (pb). £19.99

Today's Zaman reported on 26 May that the Turkish military is proposing a far-reaching modernisation of the Turkish military, but will maintain conscription. The proposed new bill, which has been forwarded to the Ministry of Defence for review, does not do away with compulsory military service, but does introduce a mixed system made up of both professional and conscripted army units.

Dear friends,

In November 2004 I declared my conscientious objection at the Beşiktepe/Tekirdağ military barracks.

I can briefly outline the ideas behind my objection as follows;

a-) Through my rejection to military service I said “no” to the conflict that has been going on between the PKK and the Turkish Armed Forces for the past 25 years! I sent the message to the people of Turkey not to join the army or the guerrillas through my conscientious objection.

Interim Resolution CM/ResDH(2009)45 1

Execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights
Ülke against Turkey

(Application No. 39437/98, judgment of 24 January 2006, final on 24 April 2006 –
Interim Resolution CM/ResDH(2007)109)