Young men in the Transnistrian region fear being drafted in the so-called Transnistrian army because of the inhuman conditions faced there, including forced labor, degrading treatment and even torture, Info-Prim Neo learned from lawyer Alexandru Zubco of the Promo-LEX Association, an NGO specializing in advancing human rights in Moldova, including in the Transnistrian region. “Because of the inhuman conditions, many young men flee the region, leaving villages inhabited solely by the elderly. Many abandon their units because they are beaten there”. Alexandru Zubco says that in order to keep its so-called army afloat the de facto authorities of the region go as far as to draft young men with serious illnesses or those who have dependents. According to Promo-LEX reports, the young men who avoid “conscription” into these paramilitary forces face prosecution and eventually are sentenced to pay fines of up to $600 or serve up to 2 years in prison. In a similar situation are those young men who object to military service for religious, pacifistic, humanitarian, ethic, moral or other similar reasons. Alexandru Zubco says that Promo-LEX has repeatedly petitioned the authorities in Chisinau requesting them, among other measures, to ensure protection and guarantee the rights of all the young men liable to military service living in Moldova's Transnistrian region, to investigate related human rights violations and bring those responsible to justice. In October, young men aged 18 to 27 residing in Moldova's eastern districts are called up to join Transnistria's illegal armed forces as part of the traditional autumn draft. As Promo-LEX notes, they will be forced to swear allegiance to an illegitimate regime.