Franak Vyachorka: “Army is a trial of one’s endurance and ideological commitment”

On January 5 Franak Vyachorka was urgently discharged from Mozyr dermatovenerologic dispensary though he had been passing examination.

On December 29 Franak Vyachorka was transferred from the medical unit to the hospital because of scabies diagnosed. The father of the young activist, one of the leaders of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Vintsuk Vyachorka noted that on January 4 a doctor told to Franak that he should spend a few days in the medical institution, to be examined and finish treatment.

“However today, on January 5, the head doctor of the dispensary came to Franak and said he would be discharged, adding: “You didn’t want to be quiet, so you should return to the military unit,” Vintsuk Vyachorka said.

He links the urgent discharging of his son from the hospital with the on-line press-conference wit Franak’s participation announced at the web-site of Radio Svaboda.

“The commanding officers of the military unit, as well as secret services are obviously worried that Franak could break through the isolation of the informational barrier. Besides, it is especially risky for the commending officers of the military unit, who such tolerate insanitary conditions in the barracks, so that soldiers are infected with scabies,” Vintsuk Vyachorka said.

He also attracted attention to another representative fact. “In the hospital Franak’s blood pressure was measured every day. The lower threshold was within 100-110, and the higher 150-165. It shows once again he is not fit for army service,” Vintsuk Vyachorka said.

After Franak was urgently discharged from the hospital, he managed to give a comment to Radio Svaboda and tell about his military service.

“Unfortunately, in my situation right from the beginning the service was a form of unjust and illegal restriction of freedom, and I am set to struggle. It is a test of my endurance and ideological commitment. I was offered a choice from the start. I could keep quiet, keep my profile low, and then I receive shoulder straps of a sergeant, can use phone, leaves, blessing of the commanding officers. But I started a blog on the web, and it was the beginning of the psychological war. I continue my blog now, I will publish it after army discharge.

I have my right for mother tongue in the army. I have translated statutes. Some soldiers are trying to speak Belarusian. I started to receive “Zvyazda” newspaper (in Belarusian) and independent newspapers on time.

I had to turn into a “soldiers’ lawyer”: as soon as soldiers have military or civil problems, they address me, and I help. The public pay telephone has been repaired, mobile phones are allowed to be used sometimes, and sometimes soldiers are allowed to sleep after night watch as it is required by the law. There were even leaves before the quarantine. Cisterns in the toilets and the sauna were repaired. Besides, we have collected books for a library together. It already has 200 books. Soldiers have started to read. When there was an illness I didn’t keep quiet. In early December half of the squadron went down with acute flu. In two weeks a new illness, scabies, broke out. All these facts demonstrate poor sanitary conditions and indifference to the health of soldiers. By the way, when the flu epidemic started, commanding officers made soldiers join the Belarusian Republican Youth Union forcefully. It shows what priorities these people have,” Franak Vyachorka said.

We remind that in July 2008 the medical board of Soviet district of Minsk found Franak Vyachorka not fit for military service because of his state of health. The regional medical commission challenged this decision. After examination in the military hospital the young man received deferment till March 2009. However on January 16 the military enlistment office of Savetski district of Minsk found the young man able-bodied. The court of this district where the decision of the military enlistment office was challenged, upheld it on January 23. The ruling of the court was passed in absence of Franak Vyachorka and his lawyer.

At present the young man is ding military service in the military unit 48694 in Mozyr (Homel region).