Franak Vyachorka: Why I didn’t want to serve in this army

Franak Vyachorka, leader of “The Youth of BPF”, who was forcefully guarded to a military unit in handcuffs, wrote an article, published on the website of “Belorusskie Novosti”. Here is the full text:

If you don’t like something, try to change it. Many people left the country, when Lukashenka came to power, and only some persons launched a challenge against the system. I don’t deny army. Bu it don’t like when it is used a means of political punishment, when young men have to give their best years of their lives.

I’ll try to give arguments showing why I didn’t want to serve in this army.

I want to study. Education makes a human being be a human being and a politician be a politician. First goes education, then army, and then the rest things. I was deprived of the right for education: after another term of arrest, I was expelled from faculty of journalism of Belarusian State University. I entered European Humanities University, but I wasn’t given an educational determent.

The law is equal for everyone. But corruption and bribery are flourishing. I heard from conscripts that evasion costs about $1500-2000. For those, who have profitable connections, only a telephone call is needed. According to official media, 8 persons apply for a place in the army. This competition allows to form a professional army and not to do this profanation. Am I right?

One must be very healthy to serve in the army. But the medical commission has been unable to define a decree of my fitness for military service for a year. I was given three determents due to the state of health, and the highest commission cancelled them twice. This time I was “examined” in the Republican Military Hospital. Vodchyts G., head of the hear disease department, refused to give me to read a medical conclusion, he said: “It’s not your business!” This Vodchyts G. has cured cardiac aneurysm and hypertonia of draftees Ales Kalita and Zmitser Zhaleznichenka.

Rules are not changed during the game. On July 21, 2008, minister of defence Leanid Maltsau signed a new list of medical requirements for conscripts. Six months ago I was examined according to one document and found unfit, but do I fit today? They want to re-view cases of tens of thousands of people, who were found unfit and planned to live without serving in the army.

It is often said that army is great experience. I don’t argue. As old-timer Zhaleznichenka says, if you have an opportunity, try to avoid getting of this “experience”. The army should tech to defend Motherland, but not to clean the snow. The youth of the BPF is now carrying out a campaign “For Processional Army”, Poland and Lithuania have such a system. To achieve this, contract soldiers should be paid more, the number of recruits should be reduced, the military men should buy modern equipment and not sell it to the Third World countries.

Everyone knows that military service is an honourable duty. But how many people are maimed for life or die when performing this duty? I have been in the Republican Military Hospital twice, I’ve heard many stories... One was beaten, another had a heart attack, some one else was injured due to defective equipment, and so on. We do not have a war, but the hospital is full. Deputy chief of the hospital lieutenant Zharyn V. told in an interview to Belarusian television that only 30 per cent of soldiers are healthy. How can this army defend the country?