Conscientious objector sentenced to jail in north

Halil Karapaşaoğlu arrives at the martial court holding an olive branch

By Kyriacos Kiliaris

Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector and peace activist Halil Karapaşaoğlu was sentenced to pay a fine of 2000 TL (EUR 360) and was given ten days by a military court in the north. Karapaşaoğlu was gıven ten days to pay it or spend twenty days in prison.

Having been sentenced, Karapaşaoğlu on his way out from the military court addressed reporters and the tens of peace activists who rallied in his support from both sides of the island.

“I am not going to pay the fine. I object. I will return in ten days to spend twenty days in prison” said Karapaşaoğlu.

The conscientious objector had refused to serve the Turkish army as a reserve during the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Upon appearing at the military court on Thursday, Karapaşaoğlu was informed that the charge for failing to respond to a call to join reservists in 2018 was also added.

Karapaşaoğlu's defence presented to the court that he is a pacifist, against war and violence and that his antimilitarist ideas are in conflict with the notion of an army service.

Halil was not alone

Halil Karapaşaoğlu was not alone during his trial. Family, friends, peace activists, party representatives were present in the courtyard in an act of solidarity with the conscientious objector.

Present at the trial were conscıentıous objectors Murat Kanatli and Haluk Tufanlı and Derek Brett, representative of the European Bureau of Conscientious Objection.

Brett said that the court's ruling was in contrast to the decisions of the International Human Rights Court.

Addressing the supportive crowd Karapaşaoğlu also criticised the Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition. “I am ashamed because I have to live through this during a time when a government which calls itself democratic is in power. There are two university professors in the government. One is the prime minister and the other the deputy prime minister. This decision is a disgrace for their intellectual careers. From myself it is not a disgrace, it is an honour. They are prosecuting me because I refuse to hold a gun, I refuse to plant a bullet in my friend Antonis. They say they will send me to prison for twenty days. This unacceptable, it is an inhumane practice” said Karapaşaoğlu.

He added that his and the other Turkish Cypriot conscientious objectors' struggle has not ended.

Meanwhile, Ali Kismir and Serkan Soyalan, the President and General Secretary of BASIN-SEN, the union of Media workers in the north, announced that they too, reject to any calls to execute any reservist duties.

“We see Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots as one people and as such we refuse to hold a gun against our own people” said Kismir and Soyalan.