"Israel’s Army Is In War, So Hazing Is Out Of Question There"

Every Tsakhal soldier can apply to the Office for the Rights of Soldiers at the Ministry of Defense, bypassing the superiors.

The discussion of hazing is not abating in the Belarusian society. The chronic problem passed into the acute phase after the tragic death of soldier Aliaksandr Korzhych in Pechy. How to deal with the cases of hazing, when you are inside the system? The Human Rights Center Viasna advises: to seek help from state bodies outside the military system, that is, from the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor's Office, the police, and straight from human rights defenders and the media.

Human rights defenders also advise to try to make an appointment with the Minister of Defense and send a request for an internal check if you have become a victim or witness of hazing. Meanwhile, more and more Belarusians are declaring their distrust of the entire military system and, in particular, Andrei Raukou, the head of the department. More than 11 thousand people have already signed the petition demanding the minister’s resignation on zvarot.by.

Chief of the RTVi Middle East Bureau, political observer Evgeny Sova, served in the Office of the Rights of Soldiers at the Ministry of Defense of Israel for three years. He is sharing his impressions with Belsat:

"There is, of course, no such notion as "hazing" in Israel within the meaning of the former USSR. There are certain hazing relationships, there are relationships between the old soldiers and the newcomers. Such traditions exist in all the units. Someone considers such traditions as a violation of the charter, someone says that it is necessary to live with this and so on. But there’s no such hazing as we repeatedly see in the Russian news or the evidence of which is now revealed by Belsat. Firstly, the country is at war. If an officer has to go to a battle with a soldier tomorrow, then there can’t be any hazing, since these people need to defend each other tomorrow during the battle.”

Evgeny Sova also told about where Israeli soldiers complain when their rights are viotateed:

I served three years in the division called Office for the Rights of Soldiers under the Ministry of Defense. This is a unique division, established in 1970th. What makes it unique? Any soldier serving in the Israeli army can apply directly to the division – he doesn’t need to inform his commander of the brigade or district. Within 24 hours or even faster if the complaint is urgent, the officer of this division contacts the soldier. After that the application is examined. There’s a special law department checking if the rights of the soldier are violated in the context of the specific law.”