EBCO welcomes the European Court of Human Rights judgment in favour of Turkish conscientious objector Halil Savda

Brussels, 12 June 2012

In today’s Chamber II judgment in the case Savda v. Turkey (application no. 42730/05), the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been violations of Article 3 (degrading treatment), 6 (fair trial) and 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case concerned the failure to recognise the right to conscientious objection, which would enable refusals to carry out military service to be legitimised in Turkey. The Court reiterated that the system of compulsory military service in force in Turkey allowed for no exceptions on grounds of conscience and resulted in heavy criminal sanctions being imposed on those who refused to comply. Such a system failed to strike a proper balance between the general interest of society and that of conscientious objectors. The penalties, sanctions, convictions and prosecutions imposed on conscientious objectors, when no measures were provided to take account of the requirements of their consciences and convictions, could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society.

“EBCO welcomes today’s European Court of Human Rights judgment in favour of Turkish conscientious objector Halil Savda. It is high time Turkey stopped treating conscientious objectors as criminals. EBCO urges Turkey to comply with this judgement immediately, by ceasing the persecution of conscientious objectors and providing for the right to conscientious objection to military service in full accordance with European and international human right standards.” Friedhelm Schneider, EBCO’s President, said today.