Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Turkey: I’m having 10 or 11 lawsuits

Video with conscientious objector Kamil Murat Demir

(07.05.2021) In the second video of the interview series titled "Conscientious objectors story: We exist despite civilian death", we share the story of Kamil Murat Demir, who declared his conscientious objection in 2018. As a cameraman, he has to travel a lot and is constantly subject to controls and arrests. The video has been published to the International Day of Conscientious Objection, May 15, 2021.

Turkish with English undertitles

EBCO calls for the dropping of all charges against Ruslan Kotsaba

Open Letter

(07.04.2021) To Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine

Dear Prosecutor General,

On behalf of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, I am writing to you to call for the immediate and unconditional end of the criminal prosecution against Ukrainian journalist, pacifist and conscientious objector Ruslan Kotsaba, simply because he publicly expressed his pacifist views.

Turkey: Prosecution of Conscientious Objectors

(01.03.2021) In the following we would like to give an overview of the current situation of conscientious objectors in Turkey. Furthermore we have added some information on the issue of recognition of asylum applications made by conscientious objectors from Turkey.

Since the early 1990s about 1,000 conscripts have declared their conscientious objection to military service. Hundreds of thousands have evaded military service using other ways or hiding. Several hundred have sought asylum abroad because of facing prosecution.

Turkmenistan: Another second-time jailing, four more imminent?

(15.01.2021) Conscientious objectors increasingly face second prosecutions for continuing to refuse compulsory military service. On 11 January, a court in Lebap Region sentenced 20-year-old Jehovah’s Witness Ruslan Artykmuradov to two years in a strict regime labour camp, his second jailing on the same charges. On 30 December 2020, Danev District Prosecutor’s Office informed four other Jehovah’s Witnesses they face second prosecutions. All had offered to do an alternative, civilian service.