TURKEY: Conscientious objector Halil Savda sentenced to 15 months imprisonment

Halil Savda was arrested on 7 December 2006, when attending trial in his case on conscientious objection to military service (see co-alert, 7 December 2006). This trial had been the result of Halil Savda's appeal against a of 3 months and 15 days of imprisonment on the charge of “insistent disobedience” by the Corlu-Tekirdag Military Court in January 2005. Following this appeal, the Military Supreme Court 3rd Chamber reevaluated the case on 13 June 2006 and the verdict of Corlu Military Court from 5 January 2005 was cancelled. Halil Savda was arrested at the retrial on 7 December 2006.
Another trial - going back to his "release" and rearrest in January 2007 (see co-alert, 15 March 2007), will continue on 29 March 2007.

A solidarity demonstration with Halil Savda was attacked by nationalists. The Istanbul CO platform reports:
"In order to observe the trial of CO Halil Savda at the Corlu Military Court on 15 March 2007, a group of 30 demonstrators from the Conscientious Objection Platform made a symbolic walk from Istanbul to Corlu in order to raise public awareness. While the walk in Istanbul succeeded, the walk in Corlu had been obstructed by police giving as reason that there may be some attacks. The demonstrators stated that they wanted to make a press statement. So with the police escort, the group went by bus to a park in front of the Corlu Military Court where they waited for approximately 3 hours for the trial to start.
During these three hours, the group distributed the press release and made a small demonstration with banners, singing songs without any slogans. The police offered some tea and something to eat to the demonstrators since they didn’t want the whole group to walk even to get some food from the nearby shops.
When the time of the trial came, and because of the capacity of the courtroom, only 15 out of 30 persons were able to get into the courtroom in order to observe the trial. The rest of the group stayed at the park waiting for the end of the trial. However towards the end of the trial, a group of 25-30 persons were able to break through the police line surrounding the demonstrators and attacked them. While the police did not take any of the attackers into custody, 7 of the demonstrators had been subjected to pepper gas and beatings by the police.
When the other group observing the trial came out, the whole group, including Halil Savda’s Lawyer Suna Coskun, made a press statement, giving the information on Halil’s trial and condemning the attacks. At the end of the statement, the demonstrators, escorted by the police, went to their buses to go back to Istanbul. However, attacks on the group continued and one of the buses was damaged due to the stone thrown by one of the attackers."

War Resisters' International condemns the attacks on the solidarity demonstration for Halil Savda.

War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to Halil Savda:
Halil Savda
5. Kolordu Komutanligi,
Askeri Cezaevi
Corlu – Tekirdag
Turkey

War Resisters' International calls for letters of protest to the Turkish authorities, and Turkish embassies abroad.

* General Staff of the Turkish Military: Fax +90-312-4250813
* Presidency of the Turkish Republic: Fax +90-312-4271330, email  cumhurbaskanligi@tccb.gov.tr
* A protest email to the Turkish President Ahmet Nezdet Secer can be sent at  http://wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20070320a.html.

War Resisters' International calls for the immediate release of Halil Savda and all other imprisoned conscientious objectors.

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International
Archives of co-alert can be found at  http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts