Sotiris Kyriakou Florentzou, a 30-year-old Jehovah’s Witness and father of two children was sentenced by the Military Court in Nicosia to four month’s imprisonment for refusing to perform compulsory reserve exercises. This is the second time in less than two years that he has been jailed for conscientious objection. Recent cases of conscientious objection indicate a trend towards harsher sentences. Legislation passed in January 1992 recognized for the first time the right to conscientious objection to military service and provided provision for alternative service. However, the terms of the legislation fall short of United Nations and Council of Europe recommendations and are not acceptable to the Jehovah’s Witness community.
