Politically motivated drafting continues

An activist of Homel branch of the Young Front Andrei Tsyanyuta is getting ready for his service in the army.

As informed by the press-service of the Young Front, the young activists’ diagnosis was changed. And now he is taken to the army.

A doctor of Homel regional clinical hospital A. Vinnik told to A. Tsyanyuta, who undergoes medical examination in the hospital since August 31, that his diagnosis was changed.

A week ago the young activist was diagnosed scoliosis of 2nd degree, and people with such a diagnosis are not eligible for military service. Now Tsyanyuta is told he has scoliosis of the 1st degree, which does not give grounds even for a deferral.

“Draftees are usually kept in the hospital for 3-4 days. And I was denied being discharged from hospital and told that the term of my stay there is indefinite. Obviously they can send me to the military enlistment office by force on Friday, and then to the military unit, as it happened with other political draftees,” Andrei Tsyanyuta said.

It should be noted that recently a so-called “politically motivated drafting” is used against young activists in Belarus.

Zmitser Zhaleznichenka was the first youth activist to be forcefully drafted into the army. The activist of “The BPF Youth” from Homel was called up for military service on January 25, 2008. The oppositionist was expelled from Homel State University two times. He was an A-level student and didn’t miss classes without good excuse. The activist appealed to court against his first expulsion in September 2007 and was reinstated to the university on January 16, but was expelled again in four days and drafted into the army.

In January 2009, “Young Front” activists Ivan Shyla and Zmitser Khvedaruk as well as leader of “The BPF Youth” Franak Vyachorka faced a similar situation. The youth activists were called up in spite of medical contra-indication.