Vigen Sargsyan suggests cancelling law granting nonprosecution for individuals who haven’t passed compulsory service in 2018
The Armenian government approved the bill on extending the period of the ‘law on citizens who didn’t pass compulsory military service in violation of the defines rules” until May 1, 2018 – (under the law, citizens who didn’t serve in the military for reasons of residing abroad, are eligible to pay a defined amount upon return, and not be subject to prosecution).
Armenia’s defense minister Vigen Sargsyan, however, mentioned that this opportunity must be cancelled from next year. “We’ve had numerous occasions to speak about this law, that it isn’t the best solution from the perspective that by regularly postponing the period we don’t contribute to their return, but rather we contribute to the outflow of some men under the age of 27, who hope that by residing abroad by the age of 27 they will pay the money and legalize their nonservice. We don’t need to stop it this time, but we must decide that this can’t be continued as a policy, we must cancel this from next year,” he said.
Sargsyan asked the PM to issue a directive to work with all stakeholder bodies in order for the document’s list to be regulated in a way that at least those who are in Armenia are unable to take advantage of this law and avoid service. According to Sargsyan, these type of cases have been discovered in the past.
“Meaning a revision must be made in the required documents, in order for the given individual’s facts on living abroad etc. to be seen clearly,” he said. In his turn, Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan said that this bill is equally covering two subjects – both private staff and the reserve officers.
Davtyan argues that displaying equal approach for these two groups isn’t justified, and in addition it created serious preventive problems for reserve officers. Sargsyan emphasized that regulations were adopted in previous months regarding reserve officers, but it is definitely necessary to once again study the issue with the Prosecutor General’s Office, because in his words, he’s never thought that the law is anyhow covering the reserve officers.
“It’s been about the private staff under the age of 27. If there is a point in the law regarding reserve officers, then this is definitely unacceptable and it must be changed prior to submitting it to parliament. But I haven’t been reported on such thing,” he said.
The Prime Minister proposed to study the issue within two days and then send it to the Parliament. The last time this law was changed was in 2015. The ministry of Diaspora, which has presented the bill, expected that extending the period would contribute to the repatriation of thousands of individuals, and enable them to pay the defined amount within a certain period of time and not be prosecuted.
