Crimes committed by people in uniform continue to occur

The military prosecutor of Tajikistan stated that in just six months, 423 crimes have been registered in military enlistment offices and military units of Tajikistan.

As reported at a press conference last week by the military prosecutor of Tajikistan, Habibullo Vokhidzoda, there were four fewer registered crimes in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, when cases were registered.

According to him, during this period, 160 crimes involving officers, servicemen, and military enlistment office employees were registered.

Vokhidzoda emphasized that crimes involving individuals in uniform were recorded 49 times less than in the first six months of 2023; however, he acknowledged that “a total of 263 cases of general crimes were registered, which is 45 more than in the first six months of last year.”

Although the authorities claim that crimes committed by people in uniform have decreased compared to last year, this is not an indicator of an improvement in the situation. It is known that authorities often cover up for criminals in uniform.

Tajik youth are avoiding military service by all means, arguing that recruits are brutally beaten, abused, and even killed in military units.

Previously, the Human Rights Commissioner reported that in 2023, as a result of “hazing” in military units, 109 servicemen were injured and 2 soldiers were killed.

The phenomenon known as hazing, more commonly referred to as “dedovshchina” in the Tajik army, has long become a norm. As a result of hazing, dozens of servicemen are injured or killed each year, yet no one is held accountable.

Brutal treatment of recruits begins even at the conscription stage. Military enlistment office employees often detain young men of conscription age on the streets and in public places, as well as at their residences, during a campaign known in the public as “oblava,” and forcibly send them to the army.

Such unlawful actions and the cruel treatment of young conscripts and recruits by enlistment office staff and senior servicemen have long provoked a wave of negative reactions and public outrage. However, the authorities have yet to take any measures to rectify the situation.