Osman Murat Ulke burns his call-up papers

The long-delayed trial of four Turkish anti-militarists finally took place in Ankara on 29 August (Peace News July, September 1994; July, August 1995). Only two of the four defendants attended the trial: Arif Hikmet Iyidogan was sentenced to six months in prison, Goekhan Demirkiran to four months in absentia, and Mehmet Sefa Fersal to two months in absentia; while Osman Murat Uelke was declared not guilty. But this was only the beginning of another story.

Ossi went back to Izmir and called a press conference for 1 September, International Peace Day. He opened by making it clear that Izmir SKD--the war resisters' organisation--had not organised the meeting, and that he would be personally responsible.

"As you know the trial in the Ankara General Staff Military Court in which we were accused of ´alienating people from military service' ended on 29 August. I have been acquitted. But during the trial, and although it was not relevant, the judge asked if we had done our military service. As I admitted I had not, I was taken to Cankaya Recruiting Office.

"I have no reason to escape from conscription, because I believe one should be entitled not to be conscripted without having to hide. As you see, I have not hidden; I am here.

"Even though I cannot be called an evader, I consider it meaningless to go of my own accord. On the contrary--here and now, I will burn this military pass, against which my own will rebels. In addition, I will burn the notification paper and send the rest of the documents back to the state in the post. Perhaps they will need them. Also, I will send back the 101,000 Turkish Lira that was given to me by the Cankaya Recruiting Office for transportation and food expenses.

"I am not a soldier and I never will be. Of course I am aware that they can take me by force. But until I am taken, there will be no change in my daily routine. If they do capture me, I will resist in the barracks and never perform military service."

No Turkish newspapers, except for the conservative Huerriyet, mentioned Ossi's press conference and the burning of his call-up papers. This was surprising because, although there have been other COs in Turkey, this was the first time that an individual had defied the military so spectacularly. The staff of Express, a weekly oppositional magazine interested in alternative movements, told campaigners that because of financial problems they could not let the paper be confiscated and they did not want to be put on trial under article 155 ("alienating the people from the military").

Ossi could be arrested at any time, but (in order to avoid adverse publicity) the authorities do not normally insist on enlisting those who have been identified publicly as COs. Other legal measures may, however, be attempted against him.