European Bureau for Conscientious Objection

EBCO participated in the action on conscientious objection organised by the Association of Conscientious Objection in Turkey (VR-DER) on Galatasaray square (Istiklal street) on 10th October 2014. During the action, Vedat ZENCIR, one of the two first Turkish conscientious objectors who declared their conscientious objection on ideological grounds in 1990, burnt the arrest warrant that police issued against him on 27/07/2014. Another Turkish conscientious objector, Ercan AKTAS, also burnt the arrest warrant that police issued against him on 03/09/2014.

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objectors (EBCO) presented its Annual Report 2014 “Conscientious objection to military service in Europe 2014” in a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

The press conference was organised by the Association of Conscientious Objection in Turkey (VR-DER) and took place on Friday 10th of October 2014 at 11:00 at Cezayir Toplantı Salonu, Galatasaray-Beyoğlu. The moderator of the press conference was Metin BAYRAK, member of the Association of Conscientious Objection in Turkey (VR-DER), and the speakers were:

Photos from the successful event organised on the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence 2 October 2014 at 21:00 in POREIA theatre, Athens, Greece, where the outstanding performance of “BLASTED” theatre play of Sarah Kane was followed by an interesting open discussion with the audience on the manifestations of violence which are addressed by the theatre play, with:
• Dimitris Tarloou, Artistic Director of POREIA theatre and director of the “BLASTED” theatre play;

Athens, 1 October 2014

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

Brussels, 6 August 2014 “On the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, EBCO honours the conscientious objectors who refused to fight then, expresses its solidarity to the conscientious objectors who refuse to fight today, and calls to respect all over the world the peaceable commitment of people for the end of wars, armed conflicts and violence”, Friedhelm Schneider, EBCO’s President stated today. During the World War I, 1914-1918 it is estimated that more than nine million troops were killed, and, as many as 10 million civilians.

Brussels, 17 July 2014

Brussels, 2 July 2014
“EBCO expresses its deep disappointment at the Greek European Union Presidency as far as it concerns the grave violations of the human rights of conscientious objectors in Greece.

Seventeen years after its recognition and thirteen years after it was written into the Greek Constitution, the Greek government understands the right to conscientious objection as a privilege granted to Jehovah’s Witnesses. For two years all the requests for the status of conscientious objector for reasons other than belonging to this religion have been regularly rejected. Moreover, arrests and trials of conscientious objectors are multiplying.

Friday 16 May 2014 at 11:00
Peace House, rue Van Elewyckstraat 35, 1050 Brussels (Ixelles, close to place Flagey)

Speakers:

Friedhelm Schneider (German), president European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, and Derek Brett (UK), observers at the trial (military court) of Greek CO Dimitris Sotiropoulos in Thessaloniki om 12 May;

Doğan Özkan, representative of the Turkish Association of conscientious objectors.

Press contact:
Sam Biesemans, vice-president EBCO, , mobile 0032 477 268893.

The young communist Omar Sa'ad, a Druze conscientious objector, who is currently serving his seventh prison term for refusing to join the Israeli army, was hospitalized in Haifa last week with a liver infection. According to "Al Ittihad" communist daily newspaper, two military policemen are currently guarding Sa'ad’s hospital room "so that he does not escape." On Saturday, while he was still undergoing treatments, military police personnel arrived at the hospital and asked to transfer Sa'ad to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

An Egyptian activist has turned to YouTube to spell out his objection to the mandatory military service in the Egyptian army, compulsory for men aged between 18 and 30

ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΑ ΗΜΕΡΑ ΔΡΑΣΗΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΙΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΕΣ ΔΑΠΑΝΕΣ
http://demilitarize.org

Οι στρατιωτικές δαπάνες συνεχίζουν να μειώνονται στη Δύση, αλλά αυξάνονται παντού αλλού, λέει το SIPRI

14 Απριλίου 2014: Δράσεις σε όλο τον κόσμο για τη μείωση των στρατιωτικών δαπανών και την αύξηση των κοινωνικών δαπανών