A Tajik colonel, a sergeant, and six former soldiers have been handed lengthy prison terms for beating young recruits. Sources told RFE/RL on May 31 that the Supreme Court convicted and sentenced the defendants a day earlier to prison terms of between 9 1/2 and 11 1/2 years on a charge of violating military regulations concerning relations between personnel. The defendants were arrested in April after a video showing a group of soldiers humiliating some recruits appeared on the Internet and caused a public outcry just as conscription had begun for a mandatory two-year service in the Central Asian nation's armed forces. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.
Tajik Colonel And Sergeant Among Soldiers Handed Lengthy Prison Terms For Treatment Of Recruits
Tajik soldiers react to the verdict being announced on May 30.