The north’s authorities on Thursday announced their intention to end the practice of “double jeopardy” conscription, in which Turkish Cypriot men in Turkey who are also Turkish citizens were required to complete military service in both Turkey and the north.

A bill drafted by ruling coalition party UBP ‘MP’ Resmiye Canaltay, the daughter of former Turkish Cypriot leader Dervish Eroglu, was published in the north’s official gazette on Thursday and is now up for public consultation.

At present, Turkish Cypriot men who live in Turkey and are also citizens of the Republic of Turkey are required to complete military service in the north, even though the Republic of Turkey also requires them to complete military service in Turkey.

As such, Turkish Cypriot men living in Turkey find themselves having to do military service twice.

Canaltay’s bill will exempt Turkish Cypriot men living in Turkey from any military obligations in the north but will stipulate that should they not complete their military service in the north, they will have no right to work in the north’s public sector.

Absent from the bill was any mention of conscientious objection, which as a concept is still currently not recognised in the north’s laws. As a result, all refusal to engage in military service is automatically considered a criminal act.

A bill had been tabled in ‘parliament’ last year which would have legalised conscientious objection, but it was voted down by ‘MPs’ from all three ruling coalition parties, who pointed to military activity in the Republic as the primary reason behind their rejection of the bill.

“It is not possible for us to be in a situation which opens the door to conscientious objection,” UBP ‘MP’ Sunat Atun said at the time, speaking on behalf of the ruling coalition.

“We are currently in a state of ceasefire, and we know the priests on the other side are receiving weapons training. Everything is based on militarism and increasing military power in southern Cyprus. They are increasing arms purchases,” he said.

The bill was tabled as conscientious objector Mustafa Hurben had been taken to court over his refusal to partake in military service.

He was eventually jailed after refusing to pay an 800TL fine, which was worth €24 at the time.

In September, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rejected Turkey’s appeal against its ruling that the country had violated the human rights of another Turkish Cypriot conscientious objector who refused conscription in the north.

The Kanatli v Turkey case was finalised in March this year, with the court finding that Cypriot conscientious objector Murat Kanatli’s right to “freedom of thought, conscience and religion”, as set out in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, had been violated when he was prosecuted and then jailed in the north for refusing to be conscripted.

As such, the court ordered that the Turkish government pay Kanatli €9,000 “in respect of non-pecuniary damage” and €2,363 in court costs and other expenses.

However, as a Council of Europe spokesperson confirmed to the Cyprus Mail at the time, the Turkish government filed an appeal, requesting that the case be referred to the ECtHR’s Grand Chamber.

However, the Grand Chamber then announced it had rejected the Turkish government’s request for the case to be referred to them, and as such, the original ruling was final.