Conscientious objector Şendoğan Yazıcı has been sentenced to five months and 18 days in prison for allegedly "inciting disobedience to the law" under Article 217 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The sentence was handed down by the Borçka Criminal Court of First Instance following a trial related to a social media post in which Yazıcı criticized mandatory military service.
Yazıcı only learned of the court's decision two days ago. In addition to the prison sentence, Yazıcı was also fined 36,500 liras in administrative penalties, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.
Reflecting on the verdict, Yazıcı remarked, "The state is taking these side measures to avoid making legal regulations on conscientious objection. Yet, Turkey is obligated to align its domestic laws with the 'right to conscientious objection' as stipulated in the European Convention on Human Rights, which it signed in 2006. Instead of doing this, they try to intimidate people like us by labeling us as 'draft evaders.'"
"Standing by my words"
Yazıcı, who has faced 15 similar legal cases over the years, stated that he stands by his post, in which he declared, "I have refused to join your murderous ranks, to be part of your chain of command, to kill or be killed, for 12 years now. As long as I breathe, I will continue to refuse."
He added, "I am already a conscientious objector, and I want others to support and adopt the ideas I defend. There are currently around 400 conscientious objectors in Turkey; I would like to see that number rise to 40,000. I will continue to advocate for this. This is not 'incitement to lawlessness'—it’s an effort to encourage others to embrace the ideas and practices I believe in."
He has announced plans to appeal the sentence at the court of appeals.
The charges stemmed from a post Yazıcı made on November 25, 2022, where he shared a military record noting him as a "draft evader." Following this post, legal action was taken against him, culminating in the August 20 court ruling. (VK)