European Bureau for Conscientious Objection

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

Brussels, 3 March 2014

“EBCO is offended at the provocative and outrageous harassment of its activists in Athens and their detention in the General Police Directorate of Attica, after their symbolic peaceful protest against the imprisonment of Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Murat Kanatli.

Brussels, 25 February 2014

“EBCO is shocked at the provocative and outrageous imprisonment of its Board Member Murat Kanatli, a Cypriot conscientious objector and human rights activist, and demands its immediate and unconditional release. We also call for the full recognition of the right to conscientious objection for conscripts, reservists and professional members of the armed forces, in line with European and international standards”,

Brussels, 13 November 2013

EBCO urges Greece to immediately drop all the charges against Greek conscientious objector Nikos Κrontiras and urgently comply with its human rights obligations. This case is another example of the violation of fundamental human rights in Greece and the increasing persecution of Greek conscientious objectors by the military authorities.

Brussels, 11 October 2013

“EBCO urges the full recognition of the right to conscientious objection for conscripts, reservists and professional members of the armed forces, in line with European and international standards”, Friedhelm Schneider, EBCO’s President stated today, following yesterday’s ruling of the Constitutional Court in the northern part of Cyprus on the case of conscientious objector and EBCO Board member Murat Kanatli.

Ο ευρωβουλευτής των Οικολόγων Πρασίνων / Ομάδα των Πράσινων στο Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο, Νίκος Χρυσόγελος, φιλοξένησε την Παρασκευή 4 Οκτωβρίου 2013 την παρουσίαση της ετήσιας έκθεσης του Ευρωπαϊκού Γραφείου για την Αντίρρηση Συνείδησης (ΕΒCΟ) σχετικά με το δικαίωμα στην αντίρρηση συνείδησης στη στρατιωτική θητεία στην Ευρώπη.