Conscientious Objector Arrested in Northern Cyprus
Mustafa Hyurben has been arrested in Northern Cyprus after declaring his conscientious objection to military service. The young man was initially fined and later taken into custody.
Earlier, a military court fined Mustafa Hyurben 800 TL for refusing military service on conscientious grounds. The young man was warned that failure to pay the fine within five days would result in a three-day prison sentence.
According to media reports, the young man refused to pay the fine and staged a protest outside the country's parliament building with like-minded individuals.
The objector stated that he does not consider his actions a violation of the law and disagrees with having to pay a fine for his stance.
As a result of the protest, the police detained the young man. He will remain in custody until Friday.
It is worth noting that the Republican Party of Turkey (CTP) had proposed amending the military service law to include the right to conscientious objection. However, the proposal was rejected by the General Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in its first session of the new year.