At the first meeting of the TRNC General Assembly in 2024, amendments to the military service law will be discussed

The TRNC General Assembly is holding its first session of 2024 today. On the agenda is the proposal to amend the military service law.

During the session, scheduled to start at 10:00, an urgent proposal for amending the military service law will be discussed. This proposal, presented to the parliament by the Turkish Republican Party (CTP), addresses the recognition of the right to conscientious objection to military service.

According to the CTP proposal, those who are considered conscientious objectors to military service will have the option to fulfill their duty to the homeland through "civil service."

It is also noted that there has been a previous attempt to legalize conscientious objection to military service in Northern Cyprus. A similar bill was introduced during the four-party coalition period that governed the country from January 2018 to May 2019. However, at that time, the law was not successfully passed.

The Turkish Republican Party reintroduced this initiative at the end of 2023.

According to CTP deputy Doğuş Derya, "Conscientious objection to military service should be considered based on fundamental human rights."

In the general justification of the petition dated January 5, 2024, it is stated that "conscientious objection to military service is considered a human right within the framework of freedom of religion and conscience, in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and in international practice."

It is also highlighted that in many European countries, those who seek the right to conscientious objection to military service are offered an alternative option of state service.