Youth Is Forced to Serve in Forces

NGOs fight to defend rights of youth. They call the government to stop force calling of youth to serve in military forces, recall those articles from legislation, which defends their rights, which are very often violated.

One of the violations was registered in Akhmeta district, on the 9th of September, 2006. Approximately at 6 a.m. officers of Duisi patrol police took Chechen refugee Vakhid Borchashvili by force to regional military commissariat.

After this fact, Vakhid’s father, Valiko Borchashvili demands his sun to be back at home in vain. He asked help to the Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre. After studying the case in details, David Managadze, center’s lawyer found out many violations.

According to Managadze:  ‘law about the rights of foreigners’ states -  foreign citizens are not obliged to serve in Georgian military forces. According to another ‘law about refugees’ - refugee has the same rights as foreign citizens have. Moreover, article 101 of Georgian Constitution declares that ‘serving in Georgian military forces is obligation for every citizen of Georgia’. However these restrictions are not obligatory for foreign citizens. Military Commissariat was responsible of checking all documents, which was connected with Borchashvili. If they did so, they easily would found out, that Borchashvili has right not to serve in foreign country’s military force”.

Chechen refugee Vakhid Borchashvili was born in Kiev. He is registered in Grozny and is not a citizen of Georgia. He even does not have a document, that he is a foreigner, living in Georgia. Vakhid Borchashvili is living in Georgia from 1999 as a Chechen refugee. This is confirmed by his refugee ID card with number 0143-01.

According to Ucha Nanuashvili, the executive director of Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre, Borchashvili was taken to Orkhevi military polygon. “Despite of studying his documents legally, he was taken to military force by force, based on false documentations. The military commissariat violated five different laws. Unfortunately, such cases take place quite often. It is sad, that nobody is defending rights of these people.”

The Human Rights Centre has sent official letters to the General Prosecutor’s Office and to the Ministry of Defense; however no answer has been received yet. Borchashvili’s family members and the Human Rights Centre demand freeing of Chechen refugee from the military service.

According to father, Vakhid Borchashvili was moved to military hospital, because of worsening his health condition. He also says that administration of village Jokola have falsified Borchashvili’s birth certificate. Neither name of Vakhid’s mother, nor the date of issue is written in the document. In addition to that, many important criteria are not stated in the document.

Eka Gulua