22.03.2007 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

President Saakashvili wants the army's capacity to call up 100,000 men, introduces new law making every man aged 27 to 40 undergo 24 days training every two years; analysts say that new regulations will only encourage corruption and bribery ("Georgia Creates Army Reserves") [ID 19186]

Document(s): Open document

22.03.2007 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Georgia is moving away from conscription; 80 per cent of the 28,000-strong army consists of professional soldiers; reserve system designed to boost the number of potential soldiers and to instill a greater sense of patriotism ("Georgia Creates Army Reserves") [ID 20329]

"

Formally, all Georgian males aged between 18 and 27, excepting students, are required to do 18 months’ military service. However, just 2,000 young men a year are actually called up, and many others manage to bribe their way out of the army. Georgia has been moving away from conscription, and 80 per cent of the 28,000-strong army consists of professional soldiers.

The reserve system is designed not only to boost the number of potential soldiers, but also to instill a greater sense of patriotism. In recent weeks all of Georgia’s television channels have been running an advertisement which shows a young man abandoning his expensive car and enthusiastically joining soldiers in an armoured troop-carrier heading for a military camp."

Document(s): Open document

23.06.2005 - Source: Civil Georgia

Tbilisi: 1 soldier found dead from gun shot wound in Orkhevi military unit ("Soldier Dies of Gunshot Wound in Military Unit") [#42861],  [ID 5349]

Document(s): Open document

04.2005 - Source: Quaker Council for European Affairs

Report on conscription and conscientious objection ("The Right to Conscientious Objection in Europe: A Review of the Current Situation") [ID 15489]

Document(s): Open document

01.03.2005 - Source: Civil Georgia

Georgia sent 573 servicemen to Iraq to become a part of coalition forces stationed there ("Georgia Sends More Troops to Iraq") [#43259],  [ID 5350]

Document(s): Open document

17.11.2004 - Source: Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

Report focused on recruitment and use of child soldiers ("Child soldiers global report 2004") [#27146],  [ID 5351]

Document(s): Open document

08.2003 - Source: Human Rights Center

Military tribunal abolished ("Monthly Bulletin No 8 (54), August 2003") [#15124],  [ID 5352]

"According to the President’s statement, a higher military man will not have right to arrest a lower one. This does not mean that the violators of the discipline will not be punished. They will be punished according their crime not under the will of officers but under the court decision. According to the Georgian constitution, which in this case is in the level of European standards, the liberty of a person might be restricted under the court decision only. For this reason military tribunal had been abolished."

Document(s): Open document

01.2003 - Source: Human Rights Center

5 soldiers committed suicide in the Georgian army during 2002 ("Monthly Bulletin 1 (47), January 2003") [#14533],  [ID 5354]

"TBILISI, GEORGIA - General Prosecutor Gia Jikia stated that besides four homicides in 2002, five soldiers have committed suicide in the Georgian army. The last three incidents took place in November. On November 10, communication battalion Officer Gogita Khachapuridze committed suicide using the weapon “makarov”. On November 15, Nugzar Bolkvadze killed private

soldier Manuchar Lortkipanidze by gunfire during a clash. On November 22 in the border division near the village Shatili Genadi Shetekauri committed suicide.

According to the statistics, eight soldiers committed suicide five years ago and in the following two years ten incidents of suicide took place (16 in 2000). As for homicide, 9 soldiers were killed five years ago, 7 in the following year, 3 in 1999, 2 in 2000 and 9 in 2001. No further details or analysis are available on the above-mentioned statistics."

Document(s): Open document
Open document

22.11.2002 - Source: Federal Office for Migration (Switzerland)

Bundesamt für Flüchtlinge: Military service is compulsory for men between 18 and 27 ("Wehrdienst") [#10568],  [ID 5355]

"In Georgien besteht eine 18-monatige Wehrpflicht für Männer von 18 bis 27 Jahren. Die Armee besteht aus etwa 30'000 Mann. Ausgenommen von der Wehrpflicht sind Priester. Seit Anfang 1999 können sich auch Mitglieder der Zeugen Jehovas mit Berufung auf ihren Glauben und den damit verbundenen Gewissenskonflikten dem Militärdienst entziehen. Der Staat verlangt vom Landeskomitee der Zeugen Jehovas ein Zertifikat, welches bestätigt, dass es sich beim Wehrdienstverweigerer tatsächlich um einen ihrer Anhänger handelt."

Document(s): Open document

2002 - Source: Public Defender of Georgia

Public Defender of Georgia: Financial and social problems ("Report of the Public Defender of Georgia: On the Situation of Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia") [#10578],  [ID 5356]

"Among the subjective and objective problems existing in the Georgian Army at the
contemporary stage of its reconstruction and reorganization, the most significant are those of the attitude of the government and society to this process which sadly enough is not up to required standard, resulting in low rating and poor authority both of the officers and soldiers. All these have lead to the extremely acute problems in the army both financially and socially. The initial cause of such a desperate situation is the “notorious” problem of budget funding that has not been solved up to now. It is common knowledge that those small allocations given by the Defense Ministry are inadequate even for maintaining the army itself. The main function of the army – fighting order – is in a poor state, not to say anything about the entire training process. Thus, the soldiers are not properly trained and the officers do not grow and develop professionally. One of the main rights of military servicemen is the right to live. If military servicemen are not properly trained and do not master art of fighting, the army would not be able to fulfill its function, it would not be able either to defend itself or the territorial integrity of the state. At the same time, the population that pays taxes on which the army is maintained has the right to live in a safe environment. Bad nutrition, cold barracks, lack of elementary sanitary conditions, inadequate medical service, deficiency of medication and bandaging materials, lack of the first medical aid – all these factors lead to the increased cases of desertion and absences without leave, pushing the soldiers into this violation of strict army rules and obedience. The Ministry of Defense only had 1746 deserters in 2000 and 1334 in 2001. Desertion is also furthered and aggravated by unregulated relations among officers and soldiers; the conflicts between soldiers that often take place in the army are sometimes completely and practically neglected by officers. Besides, one of the potential sources for desertion is the practice existing in the army when soldiers are allowed by officers to leave their military units and to go home for a certain financial ransom (approximately GEL 50-100). Sometimes such soldiers do not return back to their military units as they are afraid that their case would be reported to the Military Prosecutor’s Office. The amnesty of 2001 did not bring any significant results. According to our data, about 2000 soldiers have deserted or run away from their military units by now. This can be easily explained by the fact that we do not struggle against the cases of desertion. The phenomenon of desertion will continue to exist as a problem in our country, until the government approach to this problem would not be radically changed. Moreover, it may be assumed that the government itself is pushing soldiers into desertion, unless the policy of funding is radically changed."

Document(s): publicdefender-geo.pdf

01.12.2000 - Source: Danish Immigration Service

Danish Immigration Service: People are called up for military service twice a year, in spring and autumn ("Report on roving attaché mission to Georgia") [#6081],  [ID 5359]

"Georgia established its standing army in 1993. According to the Parliament Committee on Defence and Security, the army now has approximately 20 000 soldiers, but because of the state's budgetary problems forces will be reduced over the next few years by about 4 000. Besides the army, there are border troops, interior troops, security and anti-terrorist units and the National Guard. At the moment these come under various ministries and departments, and there are plans to gather them under a single authority in future.

People are called up for military service twice a year, in spring and autumn. In 2000, about 3000 conscripts were called up. According to the Defence Committee this number is sufficient, since some people also volunteer for the army. A number of groups of young men are excused military service, e.g. students, orphans, fathers, and young men who are the only son in the family.

Military service is for 18 months.

Both the Defence Committee and the Ombudsman added that physical conditions in the armed forces are very poor. The Ombudsman had complained to the Defence Committee and had also approached the European Commission. Two western embassies confirmed that physical conditions were bad."

Document(s): Open document