Supporting Conscientious Objection Not Allowed Either

A lawsuit has been filed against Oğuz Sönmez, Mehmet Atak, Gürşat Özdamar ve Seyrek Bayrak under article 318 for “alienating people from military service.” They were taken into custody at the activity held to protest the arrest and torture of conscientious objector Mehmet Bal.

Saying “they face article 318 when they voice the ideas of the anti-militarists”, Sönmez insists, “everyone should struggle against this article which does not respect the right of those who are against wars to live.”

The four people were taken into custody for the slogans used in the activity. Their first hearing at the 2nd Court of First Instance of Beyoğlu will be on May 7, 2009.

Sönmez, with whom bianet met about the subject, says article 318 intends to ban the ideas and the struggle against war.

“I think that anti-militarists’ right to live is not recognized in this country. Those who say no to militarism will face this article. Therefore, if we are sincere about our ideas, we should do everything possible to say no to this article.”

“We will continue voicing our ideas in the courts, too”, since until today when one said he/she did not want to alienate people from the military service he/she was acquitted.

Atal, another person against whom this lawsuit was filed, too, said he was in agreement with the slogans. Although he could not hold a banner since he was late to the activity, he says, “Nobody can defend killing people. To me, it is a crime if one’s freedom is taken because he refuses to die.”

The members of the Anti Militarist Initiative who had held a press release in front of the Galatasaray High School to protest conscientious objector Bal’s being taken into custody at Arnacutköy, Istanbul on June 11 were backed by the non-governmental organizations as well. They too had demanded the release of Bal.

Reading the press release at the activity, Sönmez had said “We protest the torture benches behind the bars, exempt from any kind of inspection” and emphasized that this was exactly what Bal was against and why he had announced his conscientious objection. (BÇ/TB)