Promo-LEX is deeply concerned by the situation where young people who have military service documents issued by the constitutional bodies may be subjected to persecution by the self-proclaimed Transnistrian authorities. Young people who receive the military document issued by Moldovas’ relevant authorities also receive the stamp “have not performed military service”, despite the fact that they had made an oath of allegiance to Moldova. The Tiraspol administration believes that these stamp entitles them to enlist people in their own army. Promo-LEX received alarming signals from people that have faced such problems. Also, that their military documents are sequestered and young people receive subpoenas and are forced to meet the “military service” in the illegal paramilitary formations.
On the other hand students who turn 18 receive summons to appear at the May/June 2009 period at the centers of secessionist military enlistment and not coincidentally this coincides with the support for baccalaureate exams. Young people are threatened with criminal records if they refuse to undergo this procedure. Some of them say that they were forced to sign documents that they will continue to study in Tiraspol.
“I had to run to another region of Moldova, I do not know what to do to escape the army, more than that ?I have sworn the oath of allegiance to Moldova”, a young boy from Dubăsari reported to the Promo-LEX team who wanted to remain anonymous.
“The Military Service Obligations of the Inhabitants from the Transnistrian region of Moldova ” study launched by Promo-LEX in 2008, shows that the fundamental rights of young people in the region are violated. Moreover the association believes that the lack of information and support to young people this year worsened the situation of their rights.
“It is particularly important for young people to be informed of the possibility of arrest on the left bank of the Nistru. We notified and requested constitutional authorities to intervene as to prevent abuses and resolve this issue for thousands of people in the region. We count on the receptivity of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Reintegration, which manifested openness to solve the problems of these people”, stated Ion Manole, President of Promo-LEX .
Promo-LEX urges people who were confronted with such cases of abuse and unlawful restraint, or know of such cases, call the phone numbers: 022 450024 or 069070800.
On March 3rd 2009, the media in the region released a series of interviews with the deputy “military prosecutor” from MRT, Valentin Popov. He said that “military prosecutors “ in the region have made verification of persons who have been released from satisfaction of “military service” and found that only in the “enlistment campaign” in 2008 443 have been “illegally” released from the satisfaction of military service and for the past three years this figure has risen to over 800 people.
Note for the editor
The Study “The military people of Transnistrian region of Moldova” may be found here:
http://www.promolex.md/index.php?module=publications
The Transnistrian media interview can be found as follows
http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/222783.html
http://www.regnum.ru/news/1132688.html
Военной прокуратурой ПМР выявлены факты незаконного освобождения от службы
http://www.prokuror-pmr.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=666&Itemid=3496
For further information please contact: Pavel Postica, Jurist Asociaţia Promo-LEX , tel. (+373 22) 45 00 24, e-mail: [email protected].