Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector freed

Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector Mustafa Hurben was released from prison on Thursday after completing his three-day sentence.

He had been jailed on Tuesday after refusing to pay an 800TL (€24) fine following his refusal to complete his military service.

The concept of conscientious objection to military service is not currently recognised in the north’s laws, and as a result, Hurben’s action is automatically considered a criminal act.

In the immediate aftermath of the court’s ruling a week ago, Hurben said the decision “means that both the court and the prosecutor’s office understand something is wrong” with the fact that conscientious objection is currently illegal, given the light nature of the sentence handed down.

A bill which would have legalised conscientious objection in the north was rejected by a majority vote in ‘parliament’ on January 8.

The bill had been put forward by opposition party the CTP and would have allowed Turkish Cypriot males to perform duties in the civil service and other public sector organisations should they not wish to enter the military.

However, it was voted down by ‘MPs’ from the three parties of ‘government’, who pointed to military activity in the Republic as the primary reason behind their rejection of the bill.