Military coups have brought along human rights violations in every location they have taken place. In every place where the army has taken control by force, the violence has been further institutionalized and the societies who witness the coups have been stuck in spirals of violence.
On 15 July 2016, there was an attempt to stage coup d’état in Turkey. There is still danger of coup d’état. Many civilians, soldiers and police officers either lost their lives or were injured resulted from violence, clashes during this attempt.
The European Court of Human Rights has found Turkey guilty of inhuman treatment of a “Muslim objector” who declined to serve in Turkey’s military due to the country’s secular identity, while ruling that Turkey did not violate the complainant’s freedom of conscience because his objection was based on political grounds.
EBCO met in London half May 2016 to remember the first law in history (U.K. , 1916) which provided a legal right to conscientious objection to military service. Next EBCO meeting will be organized in Athens in November 2016 with presentation of the annual EBCO report (survey on the current CO situation in Europe); Mihalis Marangakis, one of the historical Greek CO's, will present also his autobiographical book.
Ruslan Kotsaba, a journalist and conscientious objector from Ukraine, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment by the city court of Ivano-Frankivsk (Western Ukraine) on 12 May 2016. The court found him guilty of „obstructing the legitimate activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces“.
On Saturday 14th May, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection are holding their annual meeting in London for the first time; join representatives of peace movements afterwards for an informal meeting at 7.30pm. It will be a chance to hear how we can support anti-conscription and conscientious objector movements today, as well as to discover how recognition of the rights of conscientious objectors in Britain in 1916 impacted campaigns in other countries. When: Saturday 14th May, 7.30pm
On Friday 15.4., together with the recognized conscientious objector in the Republic of Cyprus Loizos Loucaides and activists of the 'Demilitarised Nicosia Network', we are discussing about conscientious objection, the relevant legislation and the process to be followed in order for someone to be recognized as a conscientious objector in the Republic of Cyprus.
Σας καλούμε στη δράση για τη μείωση των στρατιωτικών δαπανών και την αύξηση των κοινωνικών δαπανών την Κυριακή 17 Απριλίου ώρα 17:00. Ξεκινάμε με πορεία από την πλατεία Συντάγματος, στεκόμαστε στα γραφεία της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής, και καταλήγουμε στο Πολεμικό Μουσείο δηλώνοντας:
Δεν είμαστε Αόρατοι Σταματήστε Τους Πολέμους, Όχι Τους Πρόσφυγες Βάλτε τον Πόλεμο στο Μουσείο Κόψτε Στρατιωτικές Δαπάνες, Χρηματοδοτήστε Ανθρώπινες Ανάγκες
22 mars 2016, la terreur aveugle a encore frappé. C’est cette fois notre pays qui dénombre ses morts et ses blessés. Nous pleurons les victimes des attentats à Bruxelles, comme nous pleurons toutes les victimes innocentes de Paris, d’Irak, de Syrie, de Turquie, de Côte d’Ivoire, du Burkina Faso, du Mali et partout ailleurs où la terreur frappe aveuglément. Ces attaques nous rappellent douloureusement que la guerre et la violence ne connaissent pas de frontières.
We are conscientious objectors from all around the eastern Mediterranean region. Our region has suffered for so long from oppression, injustice, militarisation, military occupations and wars, as well as poverty, illiteracy, hunger and lack of social infrastructure. In this difficult period, when our region seems to fall even more into the chaos of war, we raise a common voice for peace and against militarisation.
Ruslan Kotsaba, a journalist and conscientious objector from Ukraine, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment by the city court of Ivano-Frankivsk (Western Ukraine) on 12 May 2016. The court found him guilty of „obstructing the legitimate activities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces“.
