Turkey

Back to:Mehmet loves Bariş* Documentation: Conscientious objection in Turkey

If instead of being hanged by the neck
you're thrown inside
for not giving up hope
in the world, in your country, in people,
if you do ten or fifteen years
apart from the time you have left,
you won't say
'Better I had swung from the end of a rope like a flag'-
you'll put your foot down and live.
I might not be a pleasure exactly,
but it's your solemn duty
to live one more day
to spite the enemy.
Part of you many live alone inside
like a stone at the bottom of a well.
But the other part
must be so caught up
in the flurry or the world
that you shiver there inside

Dear Peace News readers,

 

Serdar Tekin of ISKD (Izmir War Resisters) reflects on the impact that Osman Murat Ülke's well-publicised conscientious objection has had in Turkey.

In Turkey, all men over 20 are required to do 18 months of what the Constitution euphemistically calls "Fatherland service". Despite our country's strong militarist tradition, for years there has been widespread avoidance of conscription: by buying oneself out; by taking advantage of deferments; by evading the draft; or by deserting.

The constitution calls it "fatherland service" and requires all male Turkish citizens over 20 years old to do military service. Yet, despite the strength of Turkey's militarist traditions, for years there has been widespread avoidance of conscription.

It used to be official: anyone could have their military service reduced to a month's basic training simply by paying a "ransom". Others took advantage of the inefficiencies of Turkish bureaucracy or deferments such as those available to students.

Osman Murat Ülke faces trial in Ankara Military Court on Tuesday, 19 November for "alienating the public from the military" by burning his military papers. Osman, who has been detained since 7 October, ended his hunger strike after 21 days when the authorities accepted that he refuses to wear military uniform. He remains isolated from other prisoners -- most of whom are deserters. However, he now has a bed, a light, and reading and writing materials.

On the Move

The international feminist network Isis-WICCE (Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange) has moved from its office in Switzerland to Kampala, Uganda. The group's next exchange program between feminist action organizations, scheduled for early 1996, will focus on "Freeing Ourselves from Violence: Mechanisms for Change". The program will look how specific mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring accountability for women's human rights can be developed. Applications are due June 1, 1995.

March 8, International Women's Day, was celebrated in a variety of ways around the world. In Turkey, the women of Izmir Savas Karsitlari Dernegi (ISKD--the Izmir War Resisters Association) produced Dario Fo's play "The Rape", and held a discussion afterwards with the audience. The women joined with other organizations to march on March 11, rather than March 8, in order to increase participation.

by Fatma Karahan

Especially lately, many women from Kurdistan have had to leave their homes with their husbands or fathers because of pressure from the Turkish government, or for economic or other reasons. They come to Istanbul, where they find themselves in a foreign culture, with a different language. These Kurdish women in Turkish urban areas confront many problems.

Show Your Solidarity

Messages of solidarity and concern are always appreciated. You can write, fax or email many of the women's groups in former Yugoslavia that you have read about in past issues of this newsletter. The booklet "Adressen von Friedens-Frauen-und Menschenrechtorganisationen im ehemaligen Jugoslawien" ("Addresses of Peace, Women's and Human Rights Organizations in Former Yugoslavia", in English and German) is an good source of information about contacts with women's groups in the area.

Organisations with anti-militarist aims cannot be set up in Turkey-it's official. Last year the Turkish Ministry of the Interior refused the registration of the Izmir group of Savas Karsitlari Dernegi (SKD-the War Resisters Association), and now it has refused registration to Istanbul SKD.

Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara groups of SKD continue to operate unofficially working to open a path between "forced fighting and silence" after 14 years of apathy in Turkey towards the war in "South-East"-the area it is forbidden to call "Kurdistan".

On 21 April, Aytek Özel — the former chair of the Turkish War Resisters Association in Izmir — was sentenced to one year and 15 days for seeking to turn the Turkish people against the military. The remarks were made in a TV interview on 8 December when Aytek said he supported people not reporting for military service, adding that he would not consign any child of his to the army.