The website povestka.org, which provides commercial services for conscripts who do not want to serve in the army, was blocked in Belarus. The Brest Region Prosecutor’s Office recognised the site as a threat, accusing it of ‘propaganda of ways to evade military duty’.

However, the site itself claims that their services are aimed at finding legitimate grounds for exemption from service, not at evading military service.

The website povestka.org offered help to people who did not want to do military service by providing a so-called ‘SOS Package’ for those already deemed fit for service. Among the services the site provides is commercial counselling on finding legal grounds for exemption from conscription, including illnesses and other circumstances. One of the features of the service is that users can only pay for services with cryptocurrency, which arguably adds an element of anonymity for those using the resource.

The Brest Region Prosecutor’s Office stated that the activities of the website violated the country’s legislation and could be regarded as an attempt to legalise evasion from service. In response, the representatives of the site stressed that they offered only ‘legal’ ways to protect the rights of conscripts and comply with the law. However, this argument did not convince the law enforcement authorities, and the resource was blocked.

This development comes against the backdrop of a growing number of criminal cases against conscientious objectors. Belarus is constantly holding courts to hear cases of people who evade service. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, 266 people were convicted of evading military service in the country last year, and further measures to toughen penalties for conscientious objectors are not ruled out in the near future.

A recent meeting at the Prosecutor General’s Office discussed possible penalties for those who evade service. Due to the increasing number of such cases, it was suggested that fines were not a sufficient deterrent for young people and that in practice they were not afraid of this punishment. This led the Belarusian regime to consider the need to strengthen measures, including by increasing arrest periods or other more severe measures.

In response to this situation, Our House state that evasion of service for many young people is a consequence of their personal beliefs and a basic human right. This situation also reflects a broader human rights and freedom of conscience issue in Belarus.

Related articles:

Military Service Card: An Instrument of Discrimination in Belarus “Our House” Contributes to Writing UN Report on Conscientious Objectors to Military Service “You are guilty just because you exited Belarus…” Olga Karach became a member of the most reputable organization helping conscientious objectors to military service WEBINAR: OHCHR reporting on the right to conscientious objection to military service Rechitsa: public trial of a conscientious objector