International petition to free conscientious objector Halil
Savda addressed to:
. President of
Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer
· Commander of
Turkish Armed Forces and Chief of General Staff Yaar Büyükanit,
· Military Court in Çorlu,
· Turkish Ambassador to the UK H.E. Mr Akin Alptuna,
· Turkish Ambassador to the USA Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu,
This
international petition was initiated by Payday, a
network of men working with the Global Women’s Strike. Contact
payday@paydaynet.org
www.refusingtokill.net
As of 11 April 2007 23:00 GMT, 238 people from 16
countries have signed (Belgium, Canada, France,
Finland,
Greece,
Ireland,
Israel, Italy,
Kosovo,
Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey,
United Kingdom,
USA,Venezuela
)including:
· Vittorio Agnoletto Member of the European
Parliament
· John McDonnell Member of British Parliament
· Rita Zanutel, Assessora alle Politiche Sociali della Provincia
di Venezia
More signatories at
http://www.petitiononline.com/Halil/petition.html
Halil Savda, Kurdish conscientious
objector, sentenced on 15 March
to 15 months and 15 days, on trial again on 12 April 2007
On 15 March the
Çorlu military court sentenced Mr Halil Savda to 15 months and 15
days in a military prison for his refusal to obey orders. Mr Savda
was previously on trial on 7 December 2006, detained until 25
January 2007, then released from custody, and then taken back to
barracks where he was arrested again and charged with “insistent
insubordination” for refusing orders. On 12 April he will be on
trial again for his refusal, and risks being sentenced to more time
in jail. This cycle of arrest, detention, trial, “release”, new
arrest, is against any notion of natural justice and must stop.
In a similar case in January 2006, the European Court of Human
Rights found that the repeated proceedings against Mr Osman Murat
Ülke, another conscientious objector in Turkey, constituted
degrading treatment in violation of Article 3 of the European
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms, to which Turkey is also a State Party.
During his detention Mr Savda was badly beaten. On 8 February
Amnesty International issued a statement confirming this. His
lawyer’s press statement of 2 February can be found at http://www.refusingtokill.net/Turkey%20Halil/LawyerPressStatement.htm.
Last year, Mr Mehmet Tarhan, another conscientious objector in
Turkey, was also subjected to mental and physical torture in
detention. International protest, including from Members of the
European Parliament, led to his release from prison in March 2006 –
although not to his discharge from the army. Sentenced to a further
25 months in jail, Mr Tarhan has started legal proceedings against
the prison administrators for attempted lynching, and for insults,
threats and theft.
Now Mr Savda, Mr Tarhan, Mr Ülke and countless others are demanding
that Turkey legally recognize conscientious objection as their
right, and everyone’s. They are part of a growing movement, in that
region and all over the world, of people who refuse to accept the
squandering of human, social and financial resources on military
violence, and therefore the wholesale manufacture of poverty and
repression.
We demand that the Turkish authorities stop the persecution and
violence against Halil Savda, recognize him as a conscientious
objector, and release him immediately.
We also demand the immediate end to all other persecution of
conscientious objectors in Turkey.
Sincerely,
|
1.
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Ben Martin
|
Payday |
UK |
|
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2.
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Hans Hellén |
|
Finland |
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3.
|
Roberto Carlon |
|
Venezia (Italy) |
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4.
|
Jennifer
Hautman |
|
United
Kingdom |
Invest in
Caring not Killing! |
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5.
|
Sharon
de-Wit |
|
United
Kingdom |
|
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6.
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Janelle
Thiessen |
|
United
Kingdom |
Please
discontinue this horrendous breach of justice Free Halil
Savda and cease in the persecution of those refusing to
fight |
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7.
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George
Tsogas |
|
United
Kingdom |
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8.
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Michael
Moutousis |
|
United
Kingdom |
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9.
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Natasa Polyxroniadou |
|
Greece |
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10.
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Xanthoula
Karanika |
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Greece |
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11.
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Yiannis
Glarnetatzis |
|
Greece |
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12.
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Panayiotis
Makris |
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Greece
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13.
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Michael
Maragakis |
|
Greece |
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14.
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Filippas
Kyritsis |
|
Greece |
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15.
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Thanasis
Makris |
|
Greece |
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16.
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Dimitris Tsouhlis |
|
Greece |
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17.
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George
Maitos |
|
Greece |
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18.
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Kyriakos
Iosifidis |
|
Greece |
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19.
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Akrivopoulos Babis |
|
Greece |
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20.
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George
Halkias |
|
Greece |
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21.
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George
Halkias |
|
Greece |
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22.
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Lazaros Petromelidis |
|
Greece |
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23.
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Ermioni
Frezouli |
|
Greece |
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24.
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Dimitris Sotiropoulos |
|
Greece |
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25.
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Kostas Savaidis |
|
Greece |
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26.
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Agelos Nikolopoulos |
|
Greece |
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27.
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Tasos Batas |
|
Greece |
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28.
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Agelis Michalopoulos |
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Greece |
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29.
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Alkystis Mavraki |
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Greece |
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30.
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Nikolas Kominis |
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Greece |
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31.
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Nikitas Linardakis |
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Greece |
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32.
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Kyriakos
Kapidis |
|
Greece |
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33.
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Spyros
Psyxas |
|
Greece |
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34.
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Yiannis
Chrysovergis |
|
Greece |
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35.
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Nasos Theodoridis |
|
Greece |
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36.
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Kostas Douvis |
|
Greece |
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37.
|
Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors |
|
Greece |
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38.
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Alexia
Tsouni |
|
Greece |
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39.
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Valon Canhasi |
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40.
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casi totten |
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41.
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Mary Jo
McArthur |
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USA |
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42.
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Carol Seeley |
Women's
International League of Peace and Freedom |
USA |
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43.
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Dillon Naber |
Payday |
USA |
Every man
and woman should have the right to choose to be a pacifist |
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44.
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Ruth
Todasco |
Global
Women's Strike |
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45.
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Susah
Hyatt Indiana University |
|
USA |
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46.
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Brittany
Stonesifer |
|
USA |
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47.
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Maggie Ronayne |
Global
Women's Strike, Ireland & Lecturer, National University of
Ireland, |
Galway,
Ireland |
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48.
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Frances
Crowe |
|
USA |
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49.
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banu nilgun uygun |
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50.
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Helka Repo
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51.
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Eric
Gjertsen Payday |
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USA |
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52.
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Marja Kurenniemi |
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Finland |
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53.
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Vivian
Schatz |
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54.
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Karl
Howeth |
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USA |
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55.
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Mario Pin |
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Italia |
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56.
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Juha Keltti |
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Finland |
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57.
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joan Sage |
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58.
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Jaakko Renko |
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Finland |
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59.
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