Army drafting as a means for neutralization of political activists

Pavel Kuryianovich, activist of the civil campaign European Belarus, is threatened with being drafter to the army.

On 30 December 30 at 7 a.m. the police came to Pavel’s apartment and took him to the district police department, where he was warned about administrative responsibility under article 23.34 if he organized a street action on the New Year’s Eve. After that the activist was guarded to the military enlistment office, mfront.net reports.

‘The medical commission in the military enlistment office said according to new data, my student deferment expired in 2013 nay be cancelled. I have heart problems, and I was sent to a cardiologist, and then issue on my drafting into army will be settled’, Pavel Kuryianovich told.

Recently another activist of the Young Front, Zmithser Khvedaruk, has also been summonsed to the military enlistment office. Despite the fact that the youngster studies at the college, the military officers threaten to deprive him of the draft determent, as he entered the college in September and therefore allegedly was to have brought the appropriate documents to them on 7 September, not in December.

Franak Viachorka, activist of the BPF Youth son of the deputy head of the BPF party Vintsuk Viachorka, has been detained in Rakau (Valozhyn district).

As the BelaPAN was told by Franak Viachorka, on 8 January in the morning two policemen stormed the private house of his friend were he was resting. They pushed away owners of the house and started search in the house. They showed arrest warrant to F.Viachorka. As said by the activist, they want to take him to the military enlistment office in Minsk.

‘However, I haven’t received any writs from the military enlistment office. I received the last one, to the republican military hospital, on 22 December. However, I could not come there because of my state of health, and the military enlistment office was informed about that,’ F.Viachorka said.

On 16 July a medical commission of the military enlistment office of Savetski district of Minsk recognized the young activist ineligible for military service because of his health condition. At the same time, regional medical commission challenged that decision and sent him for a check-up to a military hospital. As a result, deferment of military service till March 2009 was granted to him.

There are already many cases when service deferments were cancelled for youth democratic activists, namely activist of the BPF Youth Zmitser Zhaleznichenka, expelled from university, was called up lat January in Homel; the same happened in Minsk to Ales Kalita, head of the organization. Franak, son of the deputy head of the BPF party Vintsuk Viachorka, is also drafted.

18-year old Ivan Shyla can face army service, too. He didn’t enter a university because he had been unlawfully expelled from school before the last final exam.