Over the first month of the spring conscription campaign (April), Tajikistan has reached 70 percent of its spring conscription target, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) press center.
Meanwhile, the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Dushanbe and 20 districts and cities of the country have reportedly already fulfilled their spring conscription targets.
In the territorial cross section the percentage the target reached was: Gorno Badakhshan – 100 percent; Dushanbe – 100 percent; Khatlon province – little less than 70 percent; districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) – more than 79 percent; and Sughd province – 55 percent.
In districts subordinate to the center, Nourobod, Rasht, Sangvor, Tojikobod and Lakhsh districts have already fulfilled their spring conscription targets, a spokesman for a MoD noted.
The spring conscription campaign is carried out from April 1 through May, and 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 two-month-long effort seeking to enlist young men aged 18-27 for the one- or two-year compulsory military service takes place twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn.
According to the Ministry of Defense, every year, some 15,000-16,000 young Tajik men are drafted into the country’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.
Meanwhile, under amendments made to the country’s law on military service that came into effect on February 4, 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 will be organized for those who did not perform conscript service for a fee. At the end of basic reserve service they will receive military cards.
Besides, under the law on the universal military duty in new edition, graduates of universities having military department will also be drafted into the army for one year.
Only people who have done military service are permitted to obtain employment with the government or join the army in a professional capacity.
Tajikistan’s armed forces consist of Ground Forces, Mobile Forces (paratroopers of the armed forces of Tajikistan), Air Force and Air Defense Force.
Meanwhile, the authorities reportedly sometimes still use military recruitment raids to fulfill conscription campaign.
A ‘hunt’ for persons of draft age, more commonly known as ‘raid’, which is sometimes used to catch young people, is a violation of the law. The Tajik authorities do not admit the use of raids, but ordinary citizens and analysts repeatedly expressed concern about the forced recruitment of young people, and other illegal methods used in recruiting campaigns. As part of a journalistic investigation, we examined the issue of ‘hunting’ for conscripts in Tajikistan and tried to find out, who is right – ordinary residents complaining about raids, or authorities denying these facts.
