Authorities plan to punish for videos about raids

The Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has presented a draft law to the country’s parliament aimed at preventing the publication of information about the conduct of “raids” on conscripts in the country.

Photo: Internet

According to the state agency “Khovar,” in order to prevent the spread of “any false and unreliable information” about the conditions of service in the Armed Forces of Tajikistan or about the “conduct of campaigns to call citizens to military service,” as well as information that harms “the prestige of the national army and its servicemen,” the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Tajikistan has prepared and submitted a draft law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Amendments to the Code of the Republic of Tajikistan on Administrative Offenses.”

The Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has expressed concern that the dissemination of “false information” among the population undermines trust and support for the Armed Forces of Tajikistan and “negatively affects the prestige and defense capability of the country.”

In this draft law, the ministry proposes to hold accountable those who disseminate information about the conduct of “raids” on conscripts. The draft law provides for penalties in the form of fines and administrative arrest.

Twice a year, during the conscription season for the Armed Forces of Tajikistan, a large number of reports of violations by military enlistment office employees and law enforcement agencies are received, and videos and photographs about the conduct of “raids” are spread on social networks.

Independent experts believe that the draft law, which provides for penalties for publishing information about the “conduct of campaigns to call citizens to military service,” is aimed precisely at preventing the publication of videos about “raids,” where employees of military enlistment offices in unmarked vehicles detain young people on the streets and even in universities and send them to the army, which is a violation of the law. Social media users always harshly criticize such videos. However, despite all the facts and evidence, the authorities of the country constantly deny the conduct of “raids” on conscripts.