Recent CO Action alerts

German total objector Jan Schenck (GER14755) was fined 900 Euros (90 day rates a 10 Euros) on 7 September. In March 2004, he refused to follow an order to perform substitute service, because he sees substitute service for conscientious objectors as indirect support to war.

Several Israeli conscientious objectors went to prison again during the last week for repeated prison terms (see also http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts/msg00040.html).

Alex Kohn (ISR14726), one of the initiators of the Shministim letter, was sentenced to 14 days in prison on 6 September 2005. He had been released from Military Prison No 4 on Friday, 26 August 2005, after completing his sixth prison term - a total of now more than 100 days in prison for refusing to enlist. This new imprisonment brings his total time in prison up to 124 days. He is due out on 20 September.

In recent weeks, several Israeli objectors went in and out of prison. It is especially worrying that some objectors already served more than 100 days in prison, with no end in sight.

Alex Cohn (ISR14726) was released from Military Prison No 4 on Friday, 26 August 2005, after completing his sixth prison term - a total of now more than 100 days in prison for refusing to enlist. He was ordered to present himself at the Induction Center again this week - and might well be imprisoned again.

War Resisters' International learned today from the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) that three war tax resisters were sentenced to prison sentences already on 1 July 2005.

Greek conscientious objector Boris Sotiriadis (GR14750), a Jehovah's
Witness, was today sentenced to 3.5 years in prison by the Military
Court of Xanthi, in North Greece.

Boris Sotiriadis is of Greek origin, but he came from Georgia, where he
already had served in the army before he became a Jehovah's Witness. He
is now living in Cyprus. On 1 August, he followed a call-up to the
army, and went to the military camp of Aulona, where he refused to
serve citing conscientious objection based on his religious beliefs. He

The next trial session in the cases against Turkish conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan will take place on 4 August, at the military court in Sivas. Tarhan had been arrest in Izmir on 8 April 2005, and has by now been charged twice with "insubordination in front of his unit".

Two US conscientious objectors - Kevin Benderman (US14745) and Dale Bartlett (US14746) have been sentenced to imprisonment recently. At the same time, charges against Amy Bartlett, Dale Bartlett's wife, and her mother on "enticing/harboring a deserter" have been dropped on 27 July.

Sgt Kevin Benderman was deployed to Iraq from March to September 2003.

Turkish Conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan, imprisoned at the military prison in Sivas, ended his hunger strike in the morning of 21 June 2005. He began the hunger strike on 25 May 2005, in protest against maltreatment in the prison and the inaction of the prison authorities to protect him. After 28 days of hunger strike, the prison authorities accepted his demands. Mehmet Tarhan said in a press statement, made with the help of his lawyer Suna Coskun, that he had chosen to end his hunger strike after the prison management had chosen to accept his conditions.

War Resisters' International learned today from the Israeli organisation New Profile about recent imprisonments of conscientious objectors.

Conscientious objector Misha Hadar (ISR14725) was sentenced to a fourth prison term of 28 days on 6 June. Misha Hadar decided to now also refuse to wear a military uniform while in prison. He explains this decision in the following letter:

"June 2005

The trial session today of conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan (TK14724) in Sivas in Turkey ended with a small surprise: the military judge ordered Mehmet Tarhan, who had been arrested in Izmir on 8 April, to be released. Mehmet Tarhan, who is charged with Article 88 TACK (insubordination in front of the unit) had to be released, so the judge, because he already spent two months in prison, which is about the time he would have to serve in prison if finally sentenced. The trial itself was adjourned, but the date of the next trial session is not yet known.

Turkish conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan will be released today. The judge ordered his release because he already spent 2 months in prison-about the time he would need to serve if sentenced. The trial was adjourned but will continue at a later date.

Andreas Speck from Sivas, tel +447739498335

Archives of co-alert can be found at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts

Turkish co Mehmet Tarhan, who was released from military prison this morning, will be brought to his military unit by military police and is likely to be reimprisoned. More news to follow.

Andreas Speck

Archives of co-alert can be found at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts

During the night all activists who remained in police custody were released. The three conscientious objectors Ersan Ugur Gor, Erdem Yalcinkaya, and Mustafa Sehoglu were brought to the recruitment office, which was opened especially to deal with them. At the recruitment office their ID cards were taken, and they were told to come back in the morning, when they would be given back their ID cards. They were then released. During the night, a fourth conscientious objector, Hasan Cimen, who was sleeping in a car in front of a friends house, was briefly arrested by police.

13 antimilitarists and conscientious objectors were arrested in Sivas following the trial of conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan. The trial began early in the morning, and Mehmet Tarhan clearly showed signs of physical abuse - he had bruises all over his body, and could not walk well because of the ongoing abuse (see http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/20050524a.html). Mehmet Tarhan's lawyer asked for Mehmet Tarhan to be acquitted, but the judge adjourned the trial to 9 June. Presently, War Resisters' International is again considering an international delegation for the trial.

War Resisters' International received urgent information from Turkey. While two of the 12 activists arrested after the trial of conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan (TK14724) have been released, it is not yet clear what will happen to the other arrestees. The arrested are: Esra Topal, Ebru Topal, Dogan Ozkan , Erkan Ersoz , Gul Duran , Nurhan Sezgin , Inci Aglagul , Ersan Ugur Gor (conscientious objector), Erdem Yalcinkaya (conscientious objector), and Mustafa Sehoglu (conscientious objector).