Настоящее Время: Молодёжь TJ уезжает в миграцию не служит 40 смертей 2023

Report by Current Time / Migrant Media (Настоящее Время) dated 13 September 2024, on young Tajik men increasingly leaving for labour migration to Russia to avoid the conscription season. The article reports that every autumn after the presidential decree on the autumn draft is issued, the number of Tajik men over 18 departing for Russia rises sharply; the decree for 2024 was reportedly signed on 27 August. The article centres on a 300-person Moscow flight in which, according to a migrant named Бекмурод (Bekmurod, pseudonym), 70% of passengers were young men; he describes getting married on 23 June and leaving on 5 August to avoid draft raids (“облавы”). The article reports commentary from Дилрабо Самадова (Dilrabo Samadova), head of the NGO “Офис гражданских свобод” (Office of Civil Freedoms), who lists three reasons young men cite for avoiding service: hazing-related deaths and suicides, poor conditions, and family financial obligations. Citing Tajikistan’s ombudsman’s office as referenced by Samadova, the article reports that 40 soldiers died in the Tajik army in 2023. The article reports that a 2021 law on military duty allows a paid alternative to service — a fee that was reportedly raised last year to $5,000, beyond the means of many families. The article reports that university graduates must serve one year, with no deferrals for master’s or postgraduate students, and that rights groups have proposed an alternative-service option for migrants modelled on Turkey’s system, which authorities have not adopted. Sources cited: migrant “Бекмурод”, rights lawyer Дилрабо Самадова, Tajikistan’s ombudsman data.