Asia-Plus: TJ military conscription FAQ

The report states that Tajikistan’s autumn conscription campaign runs from 1 October to 30 November and, in a Q&A with Dilrabo Samadova, executive director of the Office of Civil Liberties, sets out the main rules. According to the report, the paid alternative “quota” service is available at local military commissariats and currently costs 750 calculation units, equivalent to about 56,250 somoni at the 75-somoni-per-unit rate. The report states that students in distance learning do not qualify for an educational deferral, which is restricted to full-time students, and that rural teachers must hold higher pedagogical qualifications and work a full teaching load to qualify. On family grounds, the report notes that a son with siblings cannot claim “only son” status, and that orphans are liable for service on general grounds. The report says military commissariats have no legal authority to arrest or prosecute parents whose adult sons fail to appear for service. It adds that citizens with tuberculosis in its open, contagious form are exempt, while closed-form cases depend on medical assessment; men with dual Tajik-Russian citizenship who have served in Russia are exempt on presentation of their military ID. The report further states that 27 is the upper call-up age, minimum height is 150 cm and minimum weight 45 kg, and service lasts 24 months, or 12 months for graduates.