Conscript soldiers of the military unit 73809, located in Koi-Tash village, complained to human rights defenders about bullying by their commanders. The head of the human rights center Kylym Shamy Aziza Abdirasulova told 24.kg news agency.
According to her, six conscripts applied to the Military Prosecutor’s Office and the human rights defenders. They told that the commanders took them to a nearby village and forced them to clean manure, repair someone’s car, and dig irrigation ditches.
«Three of six soldiers had to withdraw their statements, because they were pressured. The bullying by the senior officers, warrant officers did not stop even after appeal to the supervisory authority. The soldiers said that one of the commanders began to shoot at their feet and said that he would shoot them dead if they did not escape,» said Aziza Abdirasulova.
The commanders took the money for the work done by the soldiers. After the bullying, one soldier was hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic.
Aziza Abdirasulova
Sources in the Land Forces said to 24.kg news agency that the Military Prosecutor’s Office of the Bishkek garrison opened a criminal case. The commander of the military unit was dismissed from office, and the accused — from the posts held until the end of the investigation.
«An official investigation was carried out. The materials were sent to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, and a criminal case was opened. The facts of bullying were confirmed,» sources reported.
Head of the Information Department of the General Staff Gulzat Dzharasheva and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff Nurlan Chomoev are unavailable for comment.
