In February, the occupation courts of Crimea issued 7 new sentences to residents of Crimea for refusing to serve in the Russian Armed Forces. In addition, the “courts” opened two more cases against the inhabitants of the peninsula under Art. 328 of the Criminal Code (evasion of military service), reports “Crimean Human Rights Group”.
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“In February 2019, the “courts” in Crimea passed sentences at least in the framework of 7 criminal cases filed against residents of Crimea under Article 328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of the occupation, at least 52 criminal cases were opened in respect to the Crimeans for evading from serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", – stated in the message of the CHRG.
Under this criminal article, residents of Crimea may face a fine of up to 200 thousand rubles, or forced labor for up to 2 years, or arrest for up to 6 months, or imprisonment for up to 2 years. It is reported that the bulk of the already announced sentences to Crimeans are fines from 5,000 to 80,000 rubles. At the same time, the payment of a fine does not relieve a person from the obligation to serve in the armed forces.
Representatives of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center repeatedly reported at the international platforms that the legal status of Crimeans is regulated by the IV Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Population, namely Article 51, which states that the Occupying Cower cannot compel the civilians to serve in its armed or auxiliary forces. No pressure or propaganda which aims at securing voluntary enlistment is permitted. In addition, the UN Resolution on Crimea, calls upon Russia to stop "the practice of compelling the residents of Crimea to serve in the armed or auxiliary forces of the Russian Federation, including through pressure or propaganda".