To avoid military service, Georgians are becoming <x0-priestly”!

Priests are exempt from military service in Georgia. Local liberals are now using this fact to insist on reforming the military.

Nica Oboladze is 26 years old and has been a priest for two months. And every time he says that, he laughs.

Nica Oboladze is the spokesman for the Liberal Party Girchi, a faction of the liberal National Movement (UNM) liberal party. By the end of March, he and his companions have established a church and have appointed themselves as bishops, archbishops, and priests. Their church is called “Georgian-Cristiano-Protestanto-Unibal of Bible Freedom” and is becoming a rescue haven for Georgian youths who want to avoid legally mandatory military service.

The background of this action is not pacifism.

The majority of Georgians want to go into the army. But they feel disused”, Oboladze explains.

One of four recruits is assigned to serve as guards of objects or bodyguards.

“A year they stand in front of the ministry's doors, accompany politicians or work in construction and receive 20 euros a month of payment”, he complains. And most of the time they shoot ten bullets. ”

Many Georgians do not like soldiers not trained or educated properly. They remember well the events of 2008 when Russian tanks entered as close to Tbilisi because of the separatist province of South Ossetia. Even towards neighbours Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, where Russia has a military base, they have mixed feelings.

The arbitrary behavior of soldiers is linked to the Soviet era when senior officers had soldiers build their private homes. Earlier protests against this popular practice went unnoticed because of nepotism. But this practice continues and Girchi wants to change it. Hence, he has distributed the certificate of the priest to 500 men, and with this he also has the opportunity to avoid military service.

One - year - old military service exists in Georgia for young people between the ages of 18 and 27. From this rule, fathers of young children, students, and clergymen are expelled. Rich families pay several thousand euros, and the defence ministry frees them from the obligation of military service. But with an average income of 250 euros a month, this cannot be afforded by many Georgians.

The Girchi Party requires a three-month military service with high-quality and reasonable military training and training for all.

With badly trained militia, we can't do anything in case of need,” says Oboladze. Georgia's “Army needs reform. ”

Meanwhile, there are many organisations, such as the Liberal Centre for Civil Inclusion (CCI), that support this initiative. Its director, Lasha Giorgadze, says his idea is an army similar to that of Israel, that is, a well-equipped “, with trained reserve, open to women and an alternative military service option. ”

So far, parliament and the government have not officially indicated the requirements for reforming the military. In May, the chairman of the Commission for Defence and Security, Irákli Sesiaschvili, said it is working for a bill.

Until this law is passed and reforms are launched, Girchi will continue with spectacular shares. / DW/