HOW AND WHY CONSCRIPT SOLDIERS DIE IN PEACETIME
Almost every year in Kazakhstan's army, conscripted soldiers
"die by suicide".
"die by suicide".
Left to serve and never returned. The most recent case of this kind, which caused a huge resonance, occurred on August 19, 2022, in the border station "Sholdala" of Zhambyl oblast. A conscript was found there with a noose around his neck.
Later, the lawyer defending the commander stated that male biomaterials were found in the mouth and on the underwear of the deceased, belonging neither to the deceased himself nor to the commander.
The commanders informed the parents that the conscript soldier committed suicide after a "quarrel with his girlfriend". The relatives of the deceased believe that the 18-year-old was a victim of hazing. The police opened a criminal case and detained a sergeant serving under contract who was commander of the same outpost: he is suspected of the abuse of power, which had grave consequences. In other words, he was suspected of hazing.
The lawyer suspects that there was a sexualized violence committed against the private by his fellow servicemen.
In reality, this situation looks even more tragic because shortly before the incident, in June 2022, Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense Ruslan Zhaksylykov said that the military decided to develop a set of measures for "zero mortality in the army". The minister believes that the facts of injuries and death of servicemen in peacetime are unacceptable.
The lawyer suspects that there was a sexualized violence committed against the private by his fellow servicemen.
In reality, this situation looks even more tragic because shortly before the incident, in June 2022, Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense Ruslan Zhaksylykov said that the military decided to develop a set of measures for "zero mortality in the army". The minister believes that the facts of injuries and death of servicemen in peacetime are unacceptable.
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First of all, we need to understand the reasons: why do young people end up committing suicide? After all, it's not only the army's fault.
The army authorities became more active since President Tokayev drew attention to the increasing number of deaths and injuries in the army.
- April 2022In April of the same year, the media reported the death of an enlisted man from Mangistau: he died a few days after being drafted.
- May 30, 2022The Ministry of Defense reported that the officer was wounded in the Balkhash garrison.
- June 4, 2022Lada.kz news outlet wrote about the death of a conscript soldier in a military unit in Mangistau.
In 1992, the president of Kazakhstan created the legal basis for the emergence of an independent army in the republic through his decree "On Establishment of the Armed Forces". Although independent Kazakhstan did not "build" its army from scratch. It was inherited from the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, including all of its pros and cons.
In 2005 the law "On military duty and military service" came out. It established that compulsory military service would last 12 months, instead of two years, like it was in the Soviet Union. Additionally, the law stipulated the procedure of service on a voluntary basis, i.e. under contract.
However, this did not eradicate such a phenomenon as hazing. It only acquired another "linguistic form". According to Lyudmila Kostenko, chairman of the public association "Committee of Soldiers' Mothers", old servicemen began to be called "atashki" (from Kazakh language "ata" - grandfather), and new recruits were called "balashki" (from Kazakh "bala" - boy, child). "Atashki" continue to extort money and abuse "balashki".
Kostenko noted that conscripts most often die due to the fault of contract servicemen:
In 2005 the law "On military duty and military service" came out. It established that compulsory military service would last 12 months, instead of two years, like it was in the Soviet Union. Additionally, the law stipulated the procedure of service on a voluntary basis, i.e. under contract.
However, this did not eradicate such a phenomenon as hazing. It only acquired another "linguistic form". According to Lyudmila Kostenko, chairman of the public association "Committee of Soldiers' Mothers", old servicemen began to be called "atashki" (from Kazakh language "ata" - grandfather), and new recruits were called "balashki" (from Kazakh "bala" - boy, child). "Atashki" continue to extort money and abuse "balashki".
Kostenko noted that conscripts most often die due to the fault of contract servicemen:
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«Individuals are recruited who need a job, but not to take care of children. We have lost a lot of conscripts through the fault of contract soldiers. Let's take the case of Arinov's death on May 31, 2011. He was only in the unit for eight days, he was beaten by contract servicemen. He was forced to eat shoe polish.»
Lyudmila Kostenko
chairman of the public association "Committee of Soldiers' Mothers"
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Even the video cameras that are installed in military units do not help to nullify such cases. But why? CABAR.asia asked Roman Reimer, a lawyer and co-founder of the Erkindik Kanaty Public Foundation, to answer this question.
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«In principle, the tools that the state introduces for control work. The only question is how it (the decision on control through video surveillance - Editor's note) will be implemented and who will implement it. We must understand that hazing is a system. That is why first of all systemic manifestations of hazing should be fought. After systemic hazing is defeated, various, let's say, deviations in the army will need to be fought.»
Roman Reimer
a lawyer and co-founder of the Erkindik Kanaty Public Foundation
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According to the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan, over 300,000 men have completed military service over the past 10 years. Of this number, 28 conscripts died for various reasons. The ministry also claims that due to preventive measures, the number of deaths among conscripts is decreasing: in 2022, one conscript died.
Speaking generally, over the past three years, 237 servicemen died. Ex-senator Dana Nurzhigit voiced this data, referring to the main military prosecutor's office.
77 people died in 2020, 96 in 2021, and 64 in 2022. Of those, 145 are contract servicemen, 59 officers, and 31 soldiers. «Most of them, 89 people, died of illness, 62 died as a result of a traffic accident, and 50 committed suicide,» — Nurzhigit said.
Speaking generally, over the past three years, 237 servicemen died. Ex-senator Dana Nurzhigit voiced this data, referring to the main military prosecutor's office.
77 people died in 2020, 96 in 2021, and 64 in 2022. Of those, 145 are contract servicemen, 59 officers, and 31 soldiers. «Most of them, 89 people, died of illness, 62 died as a result of a traffic accident, and 50 committed suicide,» — Nurzhigit said.
Suicidal attitudes among young people should be prevented by parents. This is the opinion of Murat Abdushkurov, chairman of the Association "Union of Afghan Veterans" of Almaty and the coordinating council of public associations of veterans and disabled Afghanistan and other local military conflicts veterans.
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«The armed forces are a mirror image of our society. If something is wrong in society, the same thing would be wrong in the armed forces too. That is why it'd be wrong to blame everything on the military now. A lot is being done to eradicate non-statutory relations in the army. But we overlook the moment of bringing children up and preparing them for military service, we forget to tell them that in addition to rights, there is also civic duty and patriotism.»
Murat Abdushkurov
Сhairman of the Association "Union of Afghan Veterans".
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A thorough and objective examination of conscripts' health, including their psychological state, could be a measure that would prevent the deaths of conscripts. But even this stage, which is only a precursor to military service, raises questions among social activists.
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Since the beginning of the Kazakh army's formation, I have never seen a case where doctors in medical commissions were punished for determining the conscript's fitness for military service. Although I know cases when after completing the medical commission a conscript soldier would start fainting on his third day in the army. And the question of why was he taken to the army in the first place appears.
She urges the military committees to have an open dialogue with the parents. According to Chivileva, most military commissars avoid parents and do not let them into their offices.
A woman complained to me, saying that her son was taken away, despite the fact that he had heart problems. I advised her to go to the head of the military committee. But the draftee's mother answered that they didn't let her see the head of the military committee.
For some reason, they don't like those of us who are social activists. But when something happens, we are the ones who need to talk to parents and conscripts, and they always ask us to do it. The military committees of Aktobe, Shymkent, and Ust-Kamenogorsk do not work well, that is, they do not cooperate.
However, Khairullina says she personally has no problems with the Pavlodar military committee: "We immediately found common ground, and started working together well."
How does the military conscription system work in Kazakhstan?
According to the information from the Ministry of Defense, about 35 thousand people are drafted for military service annually. The conscription happens twice a year. However, not everyone is conscripted, some are granted deferments for family, health, training and other reasons.
Besides, conscripts between the ages of 24 and 27, fit or limited fit for military service, including those with the deferment, can undergo training at the "Military Technical school", a specially created state institution. The duration of training at such a school is 40 days and the cost is 305,000 tenge ($660). The cost includes three meals a day, uniforms, accommodation in a barracks, and expenses for the training process, i.e. training shooting and other things.
Training at such a school could be considered an alternative way of getting a military ticket. However, officially there is no alternative civilian service in Kazakhstan.
Training at such a school could be considered an alternative way of getting a military ticket. However, officially there is no alternative civilian service in Kazakhstan.
The cases of soldier deaths and the ensuing public outcry forced the structures where military personnel are involved to combine their efforts. These structures are the Ministry of Defense, the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee, the National Guard of the Interior Ministry, the State Guard Service, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
In September 2022, they collectively developed and approved the "Save Life" program. Its key goal is to reduce the number of deaths in the military to isolated instances. They are going to do this by creating a system for preventing and controlling deaths in the military. In fact, this program, common for all military departments, is designed to eliminate hazing, that is, to overturn the established system of relations within the army. For example, all barracks now have psychological recovery rooms, military police posts, and a video surveillance system.
But Bagila Baltabaeva, co-founder of the "Kazakhstani Union of Parents" and chairman of the Republican Council of Mothers "Alash Amanaty - Ult Anasy", doubts the effectiveness of the program.
In September 2022, they collectively developed and approved the "Save Life" program. Its key goal is to reduce the number of deaths in the military to isolated instances. They are going to do this by creating a system for preventing and controlling deaths in the military. In fact, this program, common for all military departments, is designed to eliminate hazing, that is, to overturn the established system of relations within the army. For example, all barracks now have psychological recovery rooms, military police posts, and a video surveillance system.
But Bagila Baltabaeva, co-founder of the "Kazakhstani Union of Parents" and chairman of the Republican Council of Mothers "Alash Amanaty - Ult Anasy", doubts the effectiveness of the program.
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On the one hand, one can be glad that there will be a program that will save the lives of conscripts. But on the other hand, the program states that the main cause of death of servicemen is diseases. However, it is not said that the draft committees can enlist the conscript even if he is not fit for service. There have been a lot of such cases, but they are not reported in the media.
The third chapter states that in order to preserve the life and health of personnel and to prevent offenses, there will be full control over personnel, including during off-duty hours and outside the deployment points. I do not quite understand this point. Does it mean that they will be watching the servicemen? And what does this have to do with suicides, for example?
The third chapter states that in order to preserve the life and health of personnel and to prevent offenses, there will be full control over personnel, including during off-duty hours and outside the deployment points. I do not quite understand this point. Does it mean that they will be watching the servicemen? And what does this have to do with suicides, for example?
In general, according to the social activist, the program does not provide precise mechanisms that can prevent deaths in the army. "Only general points are written, which do not exactly coincide with the causes of mortality among conscripts," summarizes Baltabaeva.
Lieutenant Colonel Ermek Tusupzhanov, former deputy commander of the National Guard brigade for equipment and armament, who also taught at the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Military Institute, agrees with the opinion that the program is imperfect.
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«I'm not sure that the 'Save Life' program will be able to minimize the number of deaths in the military. Because all the requirements in the program for educational work, prevention of traffic accidents, and compliance with safety measures have always been in all aspects of and life of the troops, there is nothing new in this program.
There are many plans and activities for the educational work of commanders of all branches, and many volumes and report documents have been written. Now there will be several more volumes on this program. And meanwhile, there is not a single line about the responsibility of the military-medical commission for the selection of servicemen to the troops. How do the sick men get into the army? This problem must be solved first.»
There are many plans and activities for the educational work of commanders of all branches, and many volumes and report documents have been written. Now there will be several more volumes on this program. And meanwhile, there is not a single line about the responsibility of the military-medical commission for the selection of servicemen to the troops. How do the sick men get into the army? This problem must be solved first.»
Ermek Tusupzhanov
Former deputy commander of the National Guard brigade for equipment and armament
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