EBCO Campaign to support conscientious objection in Turkey
February 15, 2006
With meetings with the Turkish delegation to the European Union and on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting on 10 and 11 February 2006 in Brussels the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection started its campaign for the recognition of the right of conscientious objection and to introduce a law for an alternative civilian service in the candidate country for the European Union.
The EBCO Turkey Campaign will focus on European institutions - the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Commission - to protect human rights including Article 10 of the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights, which recognises the right of conscientious objection in all EU member states. This Charter has bee signed by the Turkish government in 2004.
The EBCO Turkey Campaign will build on local partnership including lawyers associations, human rights defenders and organisations of conscientious objection and seeks the dialogue with the Turkish authorities on this issue.
EBCO is among the sponsors of a European Monitoring Conference initiated by War Resisters International in Istanbul on May 15.
The Turkish Delegation to the EU in Brussels showed interest in regulations and experiences with alternative service practices in EU member states and received the EBCO Delegation with members from Germany, Holland. Norway, Belgium and Greece in an open and constructive atmosphere.
EBCO expects a long and difficult process to come to a fair and acceptable regulation for conscientious objectors in Turkey and requested as a first step to release all Turkish COs from prison.
