Russian courts cite school military-safety grades to deny alternative civilian service
Russian courts and draft boards are increasingly using good grades in a school safety subject as evidence that conscripts lack pacifist beliefs, according to a lawyer for a conscientious objectors group.
Russian draft boards and courts are increasingly pointing to a school subject called OBZh, recently renamed OBZR, as grounds to deny conscripts' requests to perform alternative civilian service instead of military service. Artem Klyga, head of the legal department at the Conscientious Objectors Movement, described the trend.
According to Klyga, courts treat excellent grades in the OBZh/OBZR subject — including on a unit titled "Conscription for Military Service" — as proof that a conscript does not hold beliefs conflicting with bearing arms or serving in the military. He argued that a grade in this subject mainly reflects how well a student learned the material, not their personal worldview.
School references add to the problem
Klyga said court rulings also rely on character references issued by schools and colleges, which now commonly include a set phrase stating the student "did not demonstrate consistent pacifist beliefs." He said such a reference effectively eliminates any chance of being allowed to substitute alternative civilian service for military duty.
Partial opt-out remains possible
Students do have the option to opt out of the basic military training component within the OBZR curriculum. To do so, a parent must submit a written request to the school or college's head administrator, citing the constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience. Klyga advised that such requests should specifically ask for exemption from shooting practice and from handling weapons or mock weapons, rather than requesting exemption from the OBZR course as a whole.
