NORTHERN CYPRUS: Haluk Selam Tufanlı imprisoned


Following our CO Alert earlier today, conscientious objector Haluk Selam Tufanlı was imprisoned this afternoon for 10 days.

Send a protest email: /node/24202


Conscientious objector Haluk Selam Tufanli refused to participate in war preparations (reservist call up) in 2011. A trial against began him on 5th November 2013, and has been repeatedly postponed. Today the military court announced the decision, and he was sentenced to 10 days in prison.

Haluk Selam Tufanlı should not be being tried in a military court at all. A conscientious objector, like any other civilian, should not be tried by the military. This was explicitly ruled by the European Court of Human Rights, as it represents a violation of the right to a fair trial (Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights). The 2011 the Military Court in Lefkosa withdrew from judging the case of Turkish-Cypriot conscientious objector Murat Kanatli and decided to refer it to the Constitutional Court, following a request of the defence to deem the military court incompetent to try a civilian.

The Initiative for Conscientious Objection in Cyprus said 'In the northern part of Cyprus, the military service and annual reserve army practice are compulsory for male citizens above 18. The militarization of the island is not limited to the compulsory army service and reserve service; the civilians are being tried at the military court, the police is under the control of the Turkish army, there are lessons taught by soldiers in schools, and the cities and rural areas are under the direct physical invasion of the Turkish army which is ongoing for the last 40 years.'


You can use our protest email here.

Please also send a copy of your protest letter to:

  1. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidency of the Turkish Republic: Fax +90-312-4271330; email
  2. Contact detail of Embassies and Consulates of Turkey:
  3. Turkish Embassy in northern part of Cyprus: Fax +90 (392) 228 22 09, +90 (392) 228 51 18; web-form:
  4. Turkish Cypriot leadership: To: Mr Derviş Eroğlu; Fax +90 392 227 22 52
  5. Turkish Cypriot Army office: e-mail:; Fax: +90 392 228 6663

Hannah Brock, War Resisters' International