Osman Murat Ülke (born 1970) is a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. He was

imprisoned Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

for two and a half years for refusal of

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

, and was the subject of a ruling from the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

History of the case

Ülke publicly burned his conscription orders after being called for duty September 1, 1995. A year later, he was detained in Izmir and formally arrested October 8. He was put on trial at the Military Court of the General Staff in Ankara, charged with "alienating the public from the institution of military service" and was additionally charged for burning his call-up papers and declaring his conscientious objection.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

contacted the Turkish government, requesting that it provide alternative civilian service. Turkish law had no such provision in place. The human rights group made its suggestion based on recommendations made by the

United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...

and the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. The

found the nation had violated of article 3 of the convention in its persecution of Ülke. The court ordered Turkey to pay 11,000 euros to Ülke in compensation.

Continuing Issues

Even after serving his term in prison, Ülke and his family continued to be harassed, according to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

. A second conscientious objector,

Mehmet Tarhan Mehmet Tarhan (born 1978) is a Kurdish conscientious objector who was imprisoned for refusing military service.

, has been imprisoned by Turkish officials.

Awards and honors

* 2007

Clara Immerwahr Clara Helene Immerwahr (; 21 June 1870 – 2 May 1915) was a German chemist. She was the first German woman to be awarded a doctorate in chemistry in Germany, and is credited with being a pacifist as well as a "heroine of the women's rights mov ...

Award from the German affiliate of the

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned people who share the goal of ...

History of the case

Continuing Issues

Awards and honors

References

Further reading

About Ülke's case

About conscientious objection in Turkey