New “Raids” Method. “If There Are No Recruits, We Will Close the Mosque”

Since last week, government officials in the Khatlon region have been visiting mosques and forcing parishioners to call their children from Russia and send them to serve in the army; otherwise, the authorities threaten to close the mosques and impose fines or prison sentences on parents.

An anonymous source from the Jaihun district told Azda TV that on November 5, the head of the mahalla summoned all residents of the mahalla to the mosque. In the mosque, representatives of the authorities, including a local police officer, security committee staff, military enlistment office employees, the head of the mahalla, and the head of the rural jamoat spoke with the residents. The conversation lasted several hours.

“After the evening prayer, the security committee staff immediately locked the doors of the mosque so that no one could leave, prohibited everyone from leaving, and spoke with the parishioners for about 4 hours. Even at 10 o’clock, when the electricity was turned off, they were still speaking in turn,” the source reported.

According to our source, the main demand of the authorities was the return of residents’ children from Russia and their enlistment in the army; otherwise, the authorities threatened to close the mosque, fine the parents, or even send them to prison.

Another source from the Yovon district reported that similar events are occurring in other districts as well. According to him, representatives of all state bodies in the district gathered parishioners in the mosque and demanded that they call their children and even relatives who are in labor migration in Russia and send them to the army, otherwise the mosque would be closed.

“Each imam of the mosque and head of the mahalla has been instructed during the conscription season to send several young people of conscription age to the military enlistment office. If they do not do this, they themselves will be fined, and the mosque will be closed,” the source noted.

However, experts believe that the country’s authorities have begun to use a new method for conscripting recruits. They argue that the authorities have no right to threaten people with imprisonment or the closure of mosques because their sons are not evading military service. These actions by the authorities contradict the current legislation of the country and other legal norms. In most cases, local authorities abuse their official position and exceed their authority.