Central Asian States Seek To Stem Military Draft Evasion

Central Asian governments are trying to prevent young men from evading mandatory military service during autumn conscription campaigns that began on October 1.

Kyrgyz Armed Forces General Staff official Ruslan Abdrakhmanov, told journalists that the names of men who have been avoiding conscription for some time will be sent to Kyrgyzstan's Border Guard Service to prevent them from leaving the country.

The mayor of neighboring Tajikistan's second-largest city, Khujand, Rajabboi Ahmadzoda, said on September 30 that a list of regional officials' sons is being prepared so that they can be among the first to be called up for conscription.

Men aged 18 to 27 must serve in the military for one year in Kyrgyzstan and for two years in Tajikistan, but evasion of the draft has been common since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

With reporting by KyrTAG and AKIPress