In 2025, Tajikistan's courts handled 120 criminal cases of military service evasion involving 96 young men, with 27 of them sentenced to prison and 69 others fined, a representative from the country's Supreme Court told Asia-Plus in an interview.
The cases were reviewed under Article 343 of the Criminal Code—evasion of military service—and sentences were handed down accordingly. The exact amounts of the fines and prison terms were not disclosed, but under this article, fines can range from 37,500 to 75,000 somoni (as of 2025), while prison sentences can range from two to five years.
According to the Human Rights Commissioner of Tajikistan, in 2024, 107 criminal cases were initiated for military service evasion, with 30 young people receiving court sentences.
Additionally, 25 criminal cases were reviewed in 2024 under Article 376 of Tajikistan's Criminal Code, which covers evasion of military duties by self-harm or other means. As a result, nine servicemen were sentenced to prison terms under this article. The length of their sentences was not specified, but some parts of the article provide prison terms ranging from 2 to 12 years.
The court also imposed probation periods for 16 other servicemen, who are currently "serving their sentences" in military units. According to Article 71 of the Criminal Code, when applying conditional sentences, the court establishes a probation period, during which the convicted individual must demonstrate their ability to reform. This probation can range from one to five years.
Each year, the issue of compulsory conscription, conditions of service, and mistreatment in the military becomes more pressing as the conscription campaign begins. Poor conditions, abuse of servicemen, hazing, and the deaths of young soldiers in military units are considered the main reasons for young people avoiding service in Tajikistan's armed forces.
Young Tajiks can avoid or postpone military service if they are ill, studying at university, an only son, or if they have two children.
Besides, under amendments made to the country’s law on military service in early 2021, young men in Tajikistan who wish to forgo the military service may now do so by paying a fee to the government. A one-month basic reserve service is organized for those who did not perform conscript service for a fee. At the end of basic reserve service they receive military cards.
