YABLOKO’s Soldiers Mothers Faction was established at an All-Russia
Statutory Conference in Moscow on April 18, 2006. The faction
joins together 369 active members and has branches in 29 Russia’s
regions.
The goal of the faction is to put the army under public control
and stop discrimination of young men in healthcare and education
(which emerges due to the mandatory army conscription). The
present system of conscription to the army service in Russia
is connected with mass-scale violations of rights of young
men of the conscription age (18-28) which is also aggravated
by their ignorance of the laws connected with service in the
army.
Also harassment and violence (beating, humiliation and blackmailing
offences) are observed on a grand scale in the Russian army.
Number of suicides and murders in the army, as well as number
of handicapped who got injured during their army service has
been steadily growing.
We are for liquidation of corruption during army conscription
and fight against violence and blackmailing in the Russian
army. We have been steadily advocating the idea of creation
of a professional army in Russia, defend implementation of
laws and try to introduce amendments to the present laws concerning
army service, also we protect the right of the citizens to
truthful information and broadening of public participation
in the solution of the problems connected with the army which
facilitates formation of the civil society in Russia.
Head of the faction is Svetlana Kuznetsova.
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