Abuse Rife in the Military

The armed forces in Turkmenistan differ considerably from those of other countries in that apart from bullying or “hazing”, there are a host of other problems - corruption throughout the defence ministry and the command corps, bribe-taking by drafting commissions, incompetence among many officers, clan-based rivalries, and disregard for the rights of soldiers.



Despite President Saparmurat Niazov’s stated intention to boost his country’s defence capacity, regular military units have been transformed into an unpaid labour army. The vast majority of conscripted soldiers spend their time doing things that have little to do with the military - they grow wheat, gather cotton, and work as hospital attendants, factory workers, manual labourers on construction sites, and farmhands.



As a result, the standard of combat training among personnel, especially privates, non-commissioned officers and junior officers, is very low.



This unhappy picture has been made worse by the growth of bullying among soldiers over the last three years.



Hostile relationships among soldiers are characteristic not just of Turkmenistan, but of all former Soviet armies. However, there are reports that the number of deaths caused by bullying is on the increase.



Disputes arise mainly for tribal reasons: for example, if a soldier from the Dashoguz region ends up in a unit of troops from Ashgabat or Mary, the men of the local tribe will start calling him by the derogatory term “Tat” and harass him constantly. The same thing happens if a soldier from Ashgabat ends up serving in Lebap or Dashoguz.



Vahit, who comes from Seidi in the Lebap region, recalled how on his first day in the army, he was beaten nearly to death. He was only saved from more beating again by the fact that serving in the same unit, there was a soldier called Vep who was a respected figure close to demobilisation, who had studied with him in Ashgabat, and who now stood up for him. Vahit says that in order to avoid frequent beatings and harassment, you need to know someone in the officer corps or among the demob-year conscripts.



There are frequent cases when the officers themselves are responsible for such breaches of regulations. Vahit says that he witnessed one officer beating a fresh recruit until he bled.



Such incidents often end in more than mere bruises. A doctor at the resuscitation department of Mary city hospital, Meilis Serdarov, said he has treated soldiers injured supposedly as part of “their military duty”. According to Serdarov, there has been a recent increase in the incidence of deaths of young men shortly after they are brought into his department. Doctors at the hospital fully understand the reasons for these deaths, but on their superiors’ orders, they remain silent.



Maral Nurmuhamedova, a resident of Mary, recalled how her neighbours told her of the terrible news that their son had died while serving in the army. When relatives came to collect the body of 18-year-old Merdan, they were told he died from acute heart failure. But Maral was told by the dead soldier’s mother that there were marks left by beatings on his body.



Maral had last seen Merdan a week and a half earlier, when he absconded from his unit and came home. This angered his father, who rebuked his son, calling him a coward who could not stand the hardships of military life, and ordered him to return to his unit. After he heard his father out, Merdan begged him not to send him back, saying that he was constantly being beaten there, and that if he returned he would be killed. His father grew even angrier, and ordered him to gather his things and return early the next morning.



Five days later, the family received news that Merdan had died. His father still blames himself for the death of his son. He says that he will never forgive himself for sending him to a certain death.