Russian lawmakers seek to remove automatic right to postpone conscription during appeal

Deputies in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament have introduced a bill that would allow conscripts to be drafted into the military regardless of whether they appeal against the military commission’s decision to call them up, according to documents posted on the State Duma’s website on Tuesday.

Under current legislation, conscripts who wish to appeal a military commission’s decision to draft them into the Russian military can do so in court, a process that automatically suspends their conscription until the conclusion of court proceedings. 

The proposed law would make any suspension of an individual’s conscription subject to the court’s discretion. According to nonprofit human rights organisation Conscript School, which campaigns for a fully professional Russian army, the new law changes the phrasing from “the decision of the draft commission is suspended until the court decision comes into force”, to “the decision of the draft commission may be suspended by the court”. 

Alexey Tabalov, the director of Conscript School, criticised the change, saying that “the current legal norm insures against arbitrariness, without it this arbitrariness will become total”, adding that under the new legislation, “it will become much more difficult to defend your rights” as a conscript.  

In November, Vladimir Putin signed a new bill into law expanding the conscription system, and extending the time frame given to military enlistment officers to draft recruits, making it possible year round, rather than limited to two seasonal windows.