Synopses & Reviews
This study examines Turkey's non-recognition of the right to conscientious objection to military service and locates this non-recognition within the context of international human rights law - specifically United Nations and European Union system. It asks: What are Turkey's obligations under international human rights laws? To what extent does Turkish national law comply with these obligations? What changes would need to be made to Turkey's domestic law in order to achieve full compliance?
Review
"Turkey is the only state of 47 members of the Council of Europe not to recognise conscientious objection. In this new book, Çinar analyses and subjects to informed criticism Turkey's official State ideology, founded on the idea of a 'military-nation' based on a system of compulsory military service. This analysis is also relevant to many other states, especially since Çinar provides cogent and soundly based proposals for reform. This book is a unique resource for scholars and practitioners alike and is highly recommended." - Bill Bowring, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
"A must-read, not only for academics, activists, and policy makers interested in the problem of conscientious objection but also for those interested in contemporary Turkish politics." - Fuat Keyman, Sabanci University, Turkey
"Özgür Heval Çinar has given us all a book that boldly charts the rugged international topography of military conscientious objection . . . (and) the contested connections between militarized national myth, European and UN human rights debates, and the lives of today's young Turkish men." - Cynthia Enloe, author of Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link
"The book offers a solid analysis of international and regional human rights law concerning military objection and excellent in-depth insight into militarism in Turkey and the role of international human rights law in Turkey's domestic legal system." - Leonard Hammer, University of Arizona, USA, and Rothberg School, Hebrew University, Israel
About the Author
Özgür Heval Çinar received his PhD from the University of Essex, UK. A TüBITAK Postdoctoral Research Fellow (academic visitor) at the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, UK, he is also a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. He is a lawyer and works as a legal expert for the Council of Europe.
Table of Contents
PART I: THE RECOGNITION OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION IN INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
1. International Level: The United Nations Human Rights System
2. Regional Level: The European Human Rights System
3. Consensus on International Standards
PART II: CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION TO MILITARY SERVICE: THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
4. Conscription and the Myth of the Military-Nation
5. Intricacies of the Turkish Legal System
6. Turkey's International Obligations