Human Rights Information Agency "Express-Chronicle"

English Weekly News Digest

October 28 1996

MOSCOW (E-C) "The Anti-militarist Radical Association (ARA) informs young Russian citizens of their constitutional right to conscientious objection against military service," states an ARA statement issued on 18 October in connection with the violation of the rights of Yaroslav conscript Pavel Solovyov. On 10 October an operative group of the UVD of Yaroslav with authorisation from the military prosecutor arrested Solovyov under charges of arbitrarily [samovol'ny] leaving a military base (article 246 of the RF criminal code). A manhunt for Solovyov was declared in February this year. Before then, two district courts of Yaroslav, the Zavolzhsky and Leninsky, had accepted for hearing two complaints by Solovyov against illegal conscription into the army. On the night of 5 July last year, a police detachment and representatives of the enlistment office broke into Solovyov's apartment, detained him, brought him to the regional enlistment office, and then to the military base. Officials of the enlistment office pa

id no attention to the fact that during this time Solovyov was undergoing tests in the municipal hospital in connection with stomach ulcers, and that his parents were not in town. According to the ARA, such actions by state organs are a gross violation of a conscript's rights, which are entrenched in article 25 of the Law "On military obligations and military service." In the case of disagreement with a decision of an enlistment office, a conscript can appeal against a decision on conscription to a court in his place of residence within a ten day period.

Only one week after Solovyov's detention was his father able to find his son and take him from the base. Then he submitted a complaint against the illegal actions of the UVD and the regional military committee. Now the complaints are in the process of investigation. During this time, Solovyov was arrested.