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PACE Report Condemns Violence in Russian Army

Created: 15.03.2006 10:55 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:57 MSK

MosNews

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has condemned violence in the Russian army in the latest report on human rights in armed forces.

The rapporteur, Alexander Arabadjiev from Bulgaria, speaking on Wednesday at the adoption of his report during a meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee in Paris said the members of the armed forces were citizens in uniform who must enjoy the same fundamental liberties, including those set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter.

“I am appaled and horrified by the situation of servicement in some member states’ armies, who are subjected to abuse, brutality, institutionalized bullying, violence, ill-treatment and torture, constituting extremely serious violations of their rights. This applies to the ’initiation ordeals which remain common practice in the armed forces fo certain countries, in particular former Soviet countries, notably Russia, but also Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia,” he said.

According to the Russian NGO Mother’s Right, 3000 Russian military servicemen die every year. In 2005, this foundation received 6083 letters from mothers announcing the deaths of their sons during military service. In 35% of cases, the authorities explained their death by suicide, and in 15% of cases by murder or the result of abuse. According to the NGO one third of these ’suicides’ were actually murders and another third suicides prompted by the ’initiation ordeals’.

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