Tajik army abducts and arrests Jehovah's Witness man for refusing to kill

19-year-old Jovidon Bobojonov

Tajik army abducts and arrests Jehovah's Witness man for refusing to kill

Today, the city of Dushanbe is set to announce its verdict concerning a member of the Christain congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Jovidon Bobojonov, who was arrested on October 4, 2019, after he was abducted from his home by military officers. According to confirmed reports, he was taken to enlistment officer and placed under arrest for refusing military service on the basis of his religious convictions.

Authorities afterward employed Hitler like methods by taking him to the military training center unit 459075 in the Lenin District and tried to force him to wear a military outfit and take the military oath of allegiance.

When those methods failed, they brought a criminal case against him on January 28, 2020.

According to the publication, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada "there is compulsory military service for male Tajiks who are 18 years old and "who are not entitled to a deferment from the service" (ibid., 57-58). Eligible individuals will be conscripted to

the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan, the internal troops of the Republic of Tajikistan and the border troops of the Russian Federation stationed on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan (ibid., 58).

Tajik officials insist that because a law on alternative service does not exist, Bobojonov’s actions are criminal.

In 2018, the Tajik army came under fire for their draft campaigns that reportedly included forcing men into vans, beating a 62-year-old man and even turning off the electricity for 10 days in The Lakhsh District.

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses and a conscientious objector, Bobojonov, hold to the standards set by 1st-century Christians who were historically known for their political neutrality and peaceable nature, unwillingness to take part in any armed conflict of any nation in obedience to Jesus words to "love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you."

It's most deplorable that a young man being governed by love is now the victim of hatred and bullying, leaving his mother and father, who are also Jehovah's Witnesses, distressed about his future.