Pre-announcement: Planned speaking tour of activists from Turkey (February-March 2025)
(12.11.2024) In order to discuss the current situation of the right to conscientious objection to military service in Turkey, strategies of resistance against conscription and war, and to strengthen international solidarity, Conscientious Objection Watch is planning a speaking tour in cooperation with peace and conscientious objection organizations in Europe. If you would like to get more information contact us at contact@vicdaniret.org.
In February-March 2025, a team from Conscientious Objection Watch, the only organization working on conscientious objection in Turkey, is planning a speaking tour to various European countries. We are happy to emphasize that conscientious objectors from Turkey will also participate in this tour.
Our aim is to present and to discuss the current situation of the right to conscientious objection in Turkey, the rights’ violations experienced by conscientious objectors, and strategies to counter prosecutions, prison sentences and fines. You will have the opportunity to listen to first hand experiences of conscientious objectors from Turkey. We would like to discuss initiatives of resistance against conscription and war in Turkey. Meetings and public events can be organised as part of the tour, and can also address the conflict in the Kurdish provinces and whether conscientious objection can be an effort to stop the war in that region. Furthermore you can learn more about the work of Conscientious Objection Watch, and contribute to the strengthening of the struggle against conscription and militarization of society.
The visit of the Turkish activists in Europe will include as well some strategic advocacy initiatives at the United Nations in Geneva.
The right to conscientious objection has not yet been legally recognised in Turkey. Every citizen assigned as male at birth is obliged to perform military service when reaching the age of 20. Since 2006, the European Court of Human Rights has given various ‘violation’ decisions against Turkey regarding the rights of COs. Despite ECtHR decisions, COs continue to live under a vicious cycle of persecution and to experience the so called "civil death".
A series of visits to Italy and Germany are currently planned as part of the speaking tour. However, this tour can be extended to more European countries - with your support! Our purpose in sending you this email to pre-announce the speaking tour -while the planning process is still ongoing- is to encourage your participation in the planning together with the conscientious objection, peace and human rights organizations in your own country.
If you would like to be involved in the organization of this tour, host the activists with your organization or in your country, please let us know and be in touch with us!
We would like to remind you that if you plan to organize a meeting, public event or gathering in your country as part of the tour, you will need to contribute to it.
If you would like more information about this speaking tour or would like to get involved in the planning, you are more than welcome to contact us at contact@vicdaniret.org.
Conscientious Objection Watch’s mission is to achieve the legal recognition of the human right to conscientious objection to military service in Turkey. CO Watch makes visible the violation of rights experienced by conscientious objectors due to the lack of regulations on conscientious objection. With this aim, CO Watch assists conscientious objectors, socializes conscientious objection in society, produces documentation, monitoring, reporting at the national and international level, as well as legal support to conscientious objectors. To fulfill its mission, CO Watch works to raise public awareness on the right to conscientious objection as well as lobbying about the situation of conscientious objectors in Turkey within regional and international human right bodies.
We need your valuable support to more strongly advocate for of right to conscientious objection in Turkey, to continue to produce our publications and to continue to legally support conscientious objectors. Connection e.V. is cooperating with Conscientious Objection Watch and transferring your financial contribution to us.
Bank details for donations in EUR:
Account Name: Connection e.V., Account No.: 20 1512 41 at Sozialbank, Sort Code: 370 20 500
Account Holders Address: Von-Behring-Str. 110, 63075 Offenbach, Germany
Swift Code: BFSWDE33XXX, IBAN: DE41 3702 0500 0020 1512 41
Online donation: https://en.connection-ev.org/CO_Turkey-form
Conscientious Objection Watch and friends: Pre-announcement: Planned speaking tour of Turkish activists (February-March 2025), November 12, 2024
Keywords: ⇒ Connection e.V. - About Us ⇒ Europe ⇒ Turkey