An autumn conscription campaign is going on in Tajikistan. There have been reports that young Tajik men are being taken from the streets by people in plain clothes and sent to serve in the army. In Sughd province, parents have reportedly faced pressure if their sons of draft age move abroad.
Many young men resist military service because of difficult conditions and the problem of "dedovshchina," the often brutal hazing of new recruits by older soldiers.
Some other people say that service in the army is waste of time.
Meanwhile, the head of Legal Company “Himoya”, Navrouz Odinyaev, has suggested an effective way.
“Such raids, but essentially abduction of people for serving in the army, could be seen only in Tajikistan. We have repeatedly discussed this issue at many conferences and meetings, but authorized persons always say that it is impossible to fulfill the conscription target without raids,” Odinayev told Asia-Plus in an interview.
“However, there is a way! Let the offer is not new, but it is effective in my opinion,” said Odinayev. “It is necessary to set an official price for those who do not want to serve in the army!”
“All people who do not want to serve in the army should pay, except for those whom the law exempts from military service.”
According to him, getting into higher education should not exempt a person from the military service. “And all collected funds should spent on those are serving in the army,” Odinayev said.
“If young men voluntarily going to the army get money, I am more than sure that this will allow solving the conscription problem,” Odinayev said.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that young men in Tajikistan are being taken from the streets by people in plain clothes and sent to serve in the army for two years. Sometimes, the men are reportedly taken without any prior notice. Detention like these is illegal according to Tajikistan’s legislation.
The autumn conscription campaign began in Tajikistan on October 1. The draft affects able-bodied male citizens in the age bracket of 18 years old to 27 years old, who are not members of the armed forces reserve. The same decree provides for the retirement from active duty of soldiers and sergeants whose service under conscription is over.
According to the Ministry of Defense, every year, some 15,000-16,000 young Tajik men are drafted into the country’s armed forces. The two-month-long effort seeking to enlist young men aged 18-27 for the two-year compulsory military service takes place twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn.
According to official data, some 600,000 young men in Tajikistan are eligible for military service, but some 150,000 of them have received draft deferments or are exempted from the military service.
Young Tajiks can avoid or postpone military service if they are ill, studying at university, an only son, or if they have two children.
