YEREVAN, JANUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The contentious legislation seeking to introduce several options for draft evaders for exoneration was adopted by parliament on Tuesday. The bill passed with 61 votes in favor, 27 against and 6 abstentions.

The legislation is authored by MP Hayk Sargsyan from the Civil Contract party.

Men who’ve evaded mandatory military service and are above the conscription age limit (27) are prosecuted and could face a prison term of up to 5 years under the current regulations.

Under current law, draft evaders who are now above the age of 27 can’t serve in the military even if they wanted to and they certainly face criminal prosecution.  

MP Hayk Sargsyan from the ruling Civil Contract party drafted a bill that would give draft dodgers the option to have their criminal charges dropped by either enlisting into the armed forces and serving a full 2-year term, or serving a 1-year term and paying 2,5 million drams, or serving for 6 months and paying 5 million drams, or serving 1 month and paying 8 million drams, or not serving at all and paying 15 million drams to the government.

Men above the age of 27 who would obtain Armenian citizenship will also be eligible for mandatory military service and will only have the opportunity to use option 2 (serving a 1-year term and paying 2,5 million drams) if applicable.

According to Sargsyan, today there are over 10,000 fugitives on charges of draft evasion. Over 5,000 of them are above the age of 27.

Most of them are abroad and do not return to Armenia in order to avoid imprisonment. Sargsyan argued that if his bill wasn't adopted the draft evaders who are now abroad would wait until they are above the age of 37 to return to be cleared of the charges on the basis of statute of limitations.

Sargsyan said earlier at a parliamentary debate that the legislation seeks to give those who haven’t served and are now wanted the opportunity to be useful to their country.

“I wouldn’t want us to ever declare amnesty for these people again,” he said, referring to a 2021 amnesty declared by the Armenian parliament which cleared of criminal charges over 1300 draft evaders. “But I also wouldn’t want to sentence five thousand citizens to five years in prison, because by doing so, not only wouldn’t our country benefit, but we’d spend a lot of money on finding, sentencing and detaining them,” Sargsyan said.

“That’s what this legislation is about, to give these people the chance to be useful to their country, instead of becoming a burden.”

Multiple men would repatriate to Armenia if the bill passes parliament, according to the MP.