Sultanahmet 1st Court of First Instance at Istanbul sentenced Halil Savda to six months in prison for supporting in a press release the Israeli conscientious objectors Itzik Shabbat and Amir Paster, who objected Israel’s occupation of Lebanon.

The court found Halil Savda guilty of “alienating people from military service” in accordance with article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code for his press release in front of Israel’s İstanbul embassy on August 1, 2006. The sentence was reduced to five months for good conduct.

Savda was not there, his lawyer appealed the decision

Savda could not be at today’s (June 2) hearing, as he was arrested on March 27 for his eleven and a half month prison sentence, which was given to him for taking part in the press release demanding the release of İsmail Saygı, another conscientious objector. Kadriye Doğru, a lawyer from İstanbul Bar, represented him. Doğru told Bianet that they appealed the decision.

Savda will be transferred to Saray prison

Previously sent to Kasımpaşa Military Prison and later transferred to Çorlu Closed Prison, Savda is expected to be transferred to Saray Prison in coming days.

His words that “Yes, I repeat my ‘do not do your military service’ call…I emphasize clearly and without a ‘but’ or without making categorizations of ‘just-unjust’ or ‘clean-dirty’ that all wars and armed organizations are bad and dirty” were the cause of his trial.

It was article 155; it has been kept as article 318 for past three years

“The crime of “alienating people from military service” was article 155 of the old Turkish Penal Code. This charge still exists in the new penal code that went into effect on June 1, 2005 as article 318.

According to the article, “Persons who give incentives or make suggestions or spread propaganda which will have the effect of discouraging people from performing military service shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of six months to two years. If the act is committed through the medium of the press and media, the penalty shall be increased by half.”(EÖ/TB)