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by **bill cobbett** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:29 am

Oh.... here's a picky of MK, he's the hand-cuffed one in the middle, in-between two kidnappers acting for the TA...

by **bill cobbett** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:49 pm

The following is the start of a statement by the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection...

"... EBCO shocked at imprisonment of its Board Member Murat Kanatli and demands his immediate and unconditional release

“EBCO is shocked at the provocative and outrageous imprisonment of its Board Member Murat Kanatli, a Cypriot conscientious objector and human rights activist, and demands its immediate and unconditional release. We also call for the full recognition of the right to conscientious objection for conscripts, reservists and professional members of the armed forces, in line with European and international standards”,

Friedhelm Schneider, EBCO’s President stated today, after Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Murat Kanatli was sentenced to 10 days in prison for his refusal on grounds of conscience to participate in the annual compulsory military exercises in the northern part of Cyprus.

Murat Kanatli, an EBCO Board member, had declared his conscientious objection in 2009, stating that his goal is for the human resources of war to dry up and that personally he will not participate in any war, so it is meaningless to participate in any preparation for war.

“If there was a war in Cyprus, I would not take sides. Who are our enemies? Is it anyone who is on the other side of the barbed wire? Are our enemies the friends that we drink coffee with every day in Ledra Street?”

Since then he has refused each year to participate in the annual compulsory military exercises in the northern part of Cyprus. On 14th June 2011 he was summoned to appear in the Military Court on charges relating to his refusal in 2009. After numerous postponements, on 8 December 2011 the Military Court accepted the demand of Murat Kanatli to refer his case to the Constitutional Court, as it refers to freedom of conscience which is a human right guaranteed by the constitution. ..."

Rest at... http://ebco-beoc.org/node/329

by **B25** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:10 pm

Seems Murat (sounds like a muppet character btw) is only interested in his own HR. I guess the HR of the displaced 200,000 GC are of no interest to him. Absolute hypocrisy.

by **bill cobbett** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 10:11 pm

B25 wrote:Seems Murat (sounds like a muppet character btw) is only interested in his own HR. I guess the HR of the displaced 200,000 GC are of no interest to him. Absolute hypocrisy.

Perhaps MK will answer that question if you join him for coffee in Ledras, file ...???

Whilst you're waiting for the coffee to cook, some more support for MK; this from the Union of Cyprus Journalists.

"... Union of Cyprus Journalists

February 27, 2014

Να αφεθεί ελεύθερος ο Κανατλί

Το διοικητικό συμβούλιο της Ένωσης Συντακτών Κύπρου καταγγέλλει τη σύλληψη, καταδίκη και φυλάκιση του συνάδελφου και μέλους μας Μουράτ Κανατλί και ζητά την άμεση αποφυλάκισή του.

Η συνειδητή από μέρους του Κανατλί άρνηση να υπηρετήσει το στρατό κατοχής συνιστά πράξη αντίστασης ενάντια στην καταπίεση και αποστέρηση των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων των συμπατριωτών μας Τουρκοκυπρίων από τα στρατεύματα κατοχής.

Το διοικητικό συμβούλιο της Ένωσης Συντακτών Κύπρου θα καταγγείλει την καταδίκη και φυλάκιση του συνάδελφού μας Τουρκοκύπριου σε όλα τα διεθνή βήματα και ιδιαίτερα έντονα στη Διεθνή και Ευρωπαϊκή Ομοσπονδία Δημοσιογράφων.

Ο Κανατλί, γνωστός για τις δημοκρατικές του πεποιθήσεις είναι μέλος της Ένωσης Συντακτών Κύπρου από τον Οκτώβρη του 2003. Μέλη της Ένωσης Συντακτών είναι και άλλοι Τουρκοκύπριοι συνάδελφοι.

Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο

Ένωσης Συντακτών Κύπρου

27 Φεβρουαρίου, 2014 ..."

A translation of a small bit of the above...

"... Kanatli’s conscious refusal to serve in the occupation army is an act of resistance against oppression and deprivation of human rights of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots by the occupation forces. ... "