European Bureau for Conscientious Objection

150 thousand of our fellow citizens, peaceful and honest people, became outlawed today. Any time, each of them can be arrested and sentenced to imprisonment. These people did not kill, did not rape, did not steal or act brutally. They, like more than 8 million of their brethren in the world, study and preach the Bible, and try to live it. Now they are put into prison. Their fault is that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Today each of them can become a political prisoner.

*****

High Commissioner    19th June 2018
I wish to address issues in two of the States named in your report – Turkey and the Russian Federation.

An investigation has been opened to our Co-chairman Merve Arkun, by Diyarbakır Office of the Chief Prosecution, due to the activities which were held on the 15th of May, The International Day for Consencious Objectors.
We had organised two-day activities on the 15th of May in 2016, and throughout the activities; we had organised a  press release and declarations of conscientious objection in front of Tahir Elçi city forest, with the title “We Do not Let Amed to Become a Garrison Town”.

Βρυξέλλες 29 Μαΐου 2018

Joint statement of 29 May 2018
Bearing in mind the scandalous fact that despite numerous appeals, Greek authorities have, for several decades, violated the human right of conscientious objection to military service, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection and War Resisters’ International support the renewed call for a boycott of the Conscience Examination Committee (the special advisory committee which examines applications for conscientious objector status), which has been issued by the Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors.

Twelve years after the groundbreaking judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in favour of the Turkish conscientious objector Osman Murat Ülke the Turkish government continues to deny the comprehensive implementation of the mentioned ruling. Until now neither the individual nor the general legislative measures requested by the judgement have been fully executed: In November 2017 Ülke’s case has been reopened by the Prosecutor in Bilecik, and there is still no provision in Turkish law that would guarantee the human right of conscientious objection to military service.

Yannis-Vasilis Yaylali is a peace activist and journalist in Turkey, jailed by the Turkish government since April 22nd of 2017. He is a Turkish citizen of Greek origin born in the Bafra area of the Black Sea coast.
Mr Friedhelm Schneider from the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) sent the statement below about Yannis-Vasilis Yaylali and Meral Geylani.

Il 2018 sarà buono se la nonviolenza crescerà.Dai una mano con l’abbonamento

Le Bureau européen pour l’objection de conscience (EBCO) présente son Rapport annuel 2017 sur l’objection de conscience au service militaire en Europe, à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des droits humains (10 décembre).

Brussels, 8 December 2017

In view of the International Human Rights Day (December 10^th) the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) publishes its new Annual Report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2017”.

Le Bureau européen pour l’objection de conscience (EBCO) a tenu son assemblée générale 2017 le 4 novembre au Centre multimedia communautaire chypriote, dans la zone tampon de l’ONU entre les deux parties de Nicosie, la dernière capitale divisée d’Europe.

Brussels, 10 November 2017

The 2017 General Assembly of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) was held on 4^th November in the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC) in the UN buffer zone between the two parts of Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe, in Cyprus.

Brussels, 31 May 2017

The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection expresses its indignation for the forthcoming trial of Panagiotis Makris by the 3-membered Military Court of Thessaloniki on Thursday, June 1^st, for an offence of “insubordination” since 1990!
 

Βρυξέλλες, 20 Μαρτίου 2017

Το Ευρωπαϊκό Γραφείο για την Αντίρρηση Συνείδησης (EBCO), με την ευκαιρία της ανοιξιάτικης Γενικής του Συνέλευσης, υπενθυμίζει τις υποσχέσεις της ελληνικής κυβέρνησης για αντιμετώπιση των προβλημάτων στη νομοθεσία και τις διαδικασίες σχετικά με την αντίρρηση συνείδησης στην στρατιωτική θητεία, και προσφέρει τη βοήθειά του.