Recent CO Action alerts

Two total objectors were sentenced to prison on 21st of March by the Loviisa district court. 19-years old Erno Pennanen (FIN14783) from Hyvinkää was sentenced to 197 days imprisonment, and another young man, a student from Kerava who wishes to remain anonymous (FIN14784) got an unconditional sentence of 181 days. Pennanen did not do any service before his refusal, whereas the student from Kerava had done 32 days of substitute service.

Israeli conscientious objector Uri Natan (ISR14762) was sentenced to 14
days imprisonment again on 7 March 2006. Uri Natan has already spent
136 days in military prison (see co-alerts 29 November 2005,
7 October 2005,
30 September 2005).
This is his eighth consecutive prison term, since his imprisonment
began on 28 September 2005.

Yesterday, Turkish conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan (TK14724) was released from military prison in Sivas unexpectedly, following an order of the Military Court of Appeal in Ankara. The court had to deal with appeals against the decision of the Sivas Military Court from 15 December 2005 (see co-alert, 15 December 2005), brought to the Appeal Court by the prosecutor and by Mehmet Tarhan. The court gave as reason that, in case Mehmet Tarhan would be finally sentenced, the sentence would unlikely be higher than what he had already served.

War Resisters' International is very concerned about reports on arbitrary punishment of Mehmet Tarhan in prison. Today, we received a report about the latest case of arbitrary punishment: 10 days of solitary confinement. The case is bizarre, and exemplifies the arbitrariness of disciplinary punishment of Mehmet Tarhan.

After a better understanding of the Turkish law system: The Local Court cannot "overrule" an Appeals Court decision. The Appeals Court is a higher court than the local Sivas Military Court. The Appeals Court makes recommendations to the local court. Then the court is free to either adopt these recommendations or not. In this case, the local court did not abide by the recommendation of the Appeals Court and insisted on their former decision to sentence Mehmet Tarhan to four years of imprisonment.

On 15th of December the Military Court of Sivas overruled the Military Court Appeal decision (see co alert 3 November 2005 http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts/msg00049.html). The Sivas Military Court still stick with their former decision of four years of imprisonment for Mehmet Tarhan. The case is to be sent back to the Military Court of Appeal again. This time the case will be considered at the General Board of Appeals which is composed of all the presidents of the Appeal Courts.

Israeli conscientious objector Uri Natan(4762) was sentenced Wednesday, Nov 24 2005, to 35 days imprisonment in a military jail after he announced his refusal to be enlisted for regular mandatory service in the IDF. This is Uris fourth term in prison and he has by now spent 49 days in total.
Conscientious objector Alex Cohn(ISR14726) was released from prison last week, having spent nine terms, 154 days altogether.
Shaul Mograi-Berger(ISR14754) was released from military prison this week, having serve five terms, 95 days.

On Tuesday morning, 15 November 2005, Israeli feminist conscientious objector Idan Halili (ISR14775) presented herself at the Israeli army's main Induction center near Tel Aviv. Idan Halili refuses to enlist for mandatory military service based on her feminist beliefs and conscience. She wrote in a statement:

On November 15th total objector Antti Rautiainen (FIN11366) has been sent to Vantaa prison to serve a sentence of 15 days for refusing to attend callups.
Rautiainen has consistently refused to attend every time he has been called up since November 1997. Since then he has been called up altogether 20 times. On 20th of August 2001 WRI issued a co-alert on Rautiainen.

Israeli conscientious objector Shaul Mograbi Berger (ISR14754) was sentenced Wednesday, November 9, 2005, for the fifth time to imprisonment in a military jail after he announced his refusal to be enlisted for regular mandatory service in the IDF. Shaul has already spent 77 days in military prison.
Uri Natan (ISR14762) is also in military prison, serving his fourth term of 21 days. Uri has been jailed for 49 days so far.
Alex Cohn (ISR14726) has finished his ninth term of 21 days in prison. Alex has been jailed for 164 days so far.

Conscientious objector Alex
Kohn (ISR14726) has been sentenced to a ninth prison term of 14 days on
26 October 2005. He has already spent 150 days in military prison.

Alex Kohn is one of the initiators of the Shministim letter. In his own
refusal letter,
he wrote:

"The occupation is not right. It is the result of policy
and not imposed by circumstances. The means employed in its framework

Israeli conscientious objector Shaul Mograbi-Berger (ISR14754) was sentenced to a fourth prison term - 21 days - on 16 October. He had been sentenced on 28 September 2005 to 14 days in prison, which was his third prison term (see co-alert, 7 October 2005).
Uri Natan (ISR14762) is still serving his second prison term of 21 days, following his sentencing on 6 October 2005. He is due to be released shortly, but is at risk of reimprisonment.

This week Colombian conscientious objector Juan Carlos Montoya Munera was forcefully recruited by the Colombian military in the city of Antioquia, and taken to the barracks of the BatallÃn Bombona Coronel DÃaz, where he is being forced to do his military service. At the time being, War Resisters' International does not have any information about his situation in the barracks.

Israeli conscientious objector Uri Natan (ISR14762) was sentenced to his second prison term of 21 days on 6 October 2005. He presented himself at the national conscription center and announced his refusal to be enlisted for regular mandatory service in the IDF. He had received a first prison term of 7 days - unusually low - on 28 September 2005 (see co-alert, 30 September 2005, http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts/msg00043.html).

TURKEY: Conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan again on hunger strike after mistreatment

Turkish conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan ended his hunger strike yesterday, after 34 days, after two of his three demands were met by the prison authorities. Mehmet Tarhan began this hunger strike on 30 September, after a new incident of maltreatment by prison guards, who forcefully cut his hair and beard, causing injuries (see co-alert, 3 October 2005). He demanded legal action against those responsible, the same treatment as other prisoners, and an examination by civilian doctors. Although the last demand has not been met, Mehmet Tarhan decided to end his hunger strike.