On 12 November an All-Russian protest took place to promote the repealing of the draft and against the repealing of deferrals. The protest was organized by the Union of the Soldiers Mothers Committees of the Russian Federation and the Republican Party of the Russian Federation and supported by the liberal parties SPS (Union of Right Forces) and “Yabloko”, students, and several human rights organizations including the representatives of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights. (30-NOV-2005)
The pickets were led in more than 30 of the most populate regions of the Russian Federation where most of the conscription takes place and where the problem connected with the violence of the rights to deferrals is very big and important. More then twenty thousand people took part in these protests and nearly eighteen thousand put their signature under the initiative for army reform: the repeal of universal military service and the transformation to a contract army. Afterwards on 15 November Mrs. Valentina Melnikova, Mr. Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the leaders of the Republican Party of the Russian Federation and Mr. Anatoly Golst, the member of the Committees “2008: the free choice”, held a press-conference.
Every army is held together by the soldier
Mrs. Valentina Melnikova affirmed, “Mr. Sergey Ivanov, Minister of Defense, wants to have one million soldiers in the army, but he doesn’t take care of these soldiers”. In the Russian army the punishments for poor progress are very cruel and the existence of the dedovshchina (hazing) has become commonplace. In accordance with statistics nearly three thousand draftees die every year! The reasons are the same every year: the consequences of beatings, accidents, murders, suicide, etc.
Anatoly Golst, the member of the Committees “2008: the free choice”, considered that it was a kind of “Model institute” (a kind of system) where the idea that a man isn’t an individual but merely a cog, can be beaten without impunity, and his death will not worry anybody, has been ingrained into everybody’s head.
The soldiers are an object of humiliation in the Russian army
Valentina Melnikova asserts that officers, in justifying themselves, say that they are receiving “bad soldiers” and therefore such cruel measures of punishment are excusable. She stated that this self justification cannot not, be used as an excuse, and this is merely one more argument for the transformation towards a contract army.
A repeal of several social deferrals 
Mr. Vladimir Ryzhkov stated that the Ministry of Defense intended to insert the amendments into the law of universal military service. These amendments provide a repeal of several social deferrals: for those who have recently born a child and those who take care of the elderly. Mr. Vladimir Ryzhkov gave note that tens of thousands of men who carried out very important social obligations would be drafted into the army. Nobody in the Russian Government has proposed a task for providing army reform. The Russian army needs to modernize. In this army, specialists, who are undergoing training in outdated facilities, are capable of doing nothing.
There is no confidence that students will not be drafted
Starting in 2008, the mandatory draft service term will be reduced from two years to one year. In light of this, the quantity of recruits should double, which, in Mr. Sergey Ivanov´s opinion, should make 72 % from the general number of people of military age. Mrs. V. Melnikova considers that no more than 40 % of people can be called for service. The largest group of the people using deferrals is students. Hence, Mr. S.Ivanov cannot be trusted that students will not be called upon for service because there will be no where for the Ministry of Defense to get 72 % of people.
In Mrs. Valentina Melnikova’s opinion, the only way out is to move completely to a contract army where trained professional solders will have joined the military by their own request. A contract army will also give more work opportunity for women to serve in the Russian army.
A general referendum
The Union of the Soldiers Mothers Committees of the Russian Federation and the Republican Party of the Russian Federation will lead a repeated action. Their basic goal is to have a general referendum. For this purpose it is necessary to organize pickets in 40 regions and to collect 2 million signatures in favor of repealing the draft and transforming to a contract army. The Union of the Soldiers Mothers Committees of the Russian Federation and the Republican Party of the Russian Federation are also assured of the populations support, in that they are convinced of the success of the preliminary actions lead on November 12-13 in more than 30 regions of the Russian Federation.
These photos were given by the Republican Party of the Russian Federation.
