them ideal targets for conscription

They are dispersed, politically weak, and often undocumented. This makes them ideal targets for conscription drives that seek to minimize resistance. As with other marginalized groups, Ahiska men have been deployed to front-line positions with little training and few options for evasion. These abuses have unfolded in a climate of escalating repression. In December 2021, Russian courts ordered the closure of Memorial International, the country’s oldest human rights organization. Memorial had long tracked state abuses against minorities, including the Ahiska. Its closure signaled a broader assault on civil society and made it nearly impossible for affected communities to seek redress or visibility. ufabet