Prisoner of conscience Halil Savda has been conditionally released from prison in eastern Turkey. He was released under new amendments to the law on the execution of sentences that make it possible for prisoners with less than a year of their sentence remaining to be conditionally released under supervision. Halil Savda has received around 500 cards and letters while in prison. He said that these boosted his morale tremendously. He would like to thank all those who wrote to him.

Sayın basın emekçileri,

Bizler, inançlarımız ya da siyasal görüş ve vicdani kanaatlerimiz sonucu çok farklı motivasyonlarla zorunlu askerlik hizmetini reddeden Türkiyeli vicdani retçiler ve antimilitaristler olarak, vicdani ret konusunda uluslararası çalışmalar yürüten Birleşmiş Milletler Queker Ofisi, Uluslararası Af Örgütü, Uluslararası Savaş Karşıtları (WRI), Connection e.V. temsilcilerinin de katılımıyla 25-26 Şubat 2012 tarihlerinde İstanbul’da bir toplantı gerçekleştirdik.

Dear Press Representatives,

We, conscientious objectors and antimilitarists of Turkey who oppose compulsory military service based on various motivations as beliefs, political and conscientious convictions held a meeting in Istanbul on 25-26 February 2012 with the participation of representatives from the Quaker United Nations Office, Amnesty International, the War Resisters’ International and Connection e.V.

Topi Louco was sentenced to 126 days imprisonment for "refusal of civilian service" (siviilipalveluksesta kieltäytyminen) on 9 October 2012. Louko refused to continue his civilian service in September 2011. He was imprisoned on 18 December.

Jaakko Jekunen, also a total objector, was charged with "civilian service crime" (siviilipalvelusrikos) and sentenced to 181 days in prison on 7 Aug 2012. He was imprisoned on 4 December.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in a case of a Turkish conscientious objector that Article 3, Article 9 and Article 6 § 1 were violated.