Another Serviceman Dies in the Army. Why Is His Death Unexplained?

19-year-old Soleh Faiziev, who voluntarily enlisted for military service, died under unknown circumstances. His relatives say that the body was handed over to the family, but no one explained the cause of the young man’s death.

Soleh Faiziev’s relatives informed Radio Ozodi on September 4 that the young man’s body was transported to his hometown, Devashtich district of Sughd region, on September 2.

According to relatives, Soleh voluntarily joined the army in October last year. The young man served in military unit No. 0215 of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security in Isfara. About a month ago, he and a group of other servicemen were sent to Rudaki district to participate in parades in honor of the 35th anniversary of Tajikistan’s Independence.

It is still unknown where and under what circumstances Soleh died.

One of the relatives reported that the serviceman’s body was brought home by representatives of the local administration – the jamoat and the military enlistment office – but they did not provide any information about the cause of his death.

Relatives say they wanted to know what happened to him, but they were told that if they had complaints, they should contact the competent authorities.

As of the publication of this material, the country’s Border Service has not officially reported the death of the 19-year-old serviceman.

Soleh Faiziev’s death comes as media outlets have already reported the deaths of 7 servicemen in the past year.

Experts note that beatings and ill-treatment by fellow servicemen in military units in Tajikistan, which sometimes lead to the death of servicemen, as well as the impunity of those responsible in military units, have caused young people to evade service in the Armed Forces of Tajikistan by all possible means.

For this reason, authorities often resort to forced conscription of young people into the army.

Recently, the authorities have devised a number of new leverage points to fulfill the conscription plan. This includes authorities cutting off electricity to the population because the conscription plan is not being met, or law enforcement agencies detaining and even beating parents of young men of conscription age.

Recently, the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan unexpectedly acknowledged the existence of problems and urged not to violate the law during conscription.

Specifically, on August 10 of this year, Tajikistan’s Minister of Defense Emomali Sobirzoda instructed to “strengthen service discipline, prevent offenses, and improve the professional training of servicemen.”

Also on September 3, one day after Soleh Faiziev’s body was handed over to his relatives, Emomali Rahmon, during a ceremony to present state awards to employees of the country’s security and military structures, called on the heads of these departments to “treat servicemen as their own children.”

However, experts believe that until fundamental reforms occur within the Ministry of Defense system, these problems cannot be resolved by mere orders and instructions.