Despite strong objections voiced by senior lawmakers from the ruling Republican Party (HHK), the Armenian government remains determined to scrap in 2019 a law allowing men, who have illegally evaded military service, to buy an amnesty.
Under a law first enacted in 2004, they have been able to avoid criminal prosecution in exchange for a hefty fee. The amnesty-for-cash scheme was originally applicable to fugitive men born before 1978. This age threshold has been repeatedly raised since then.
The Armenian parliament approved another extension last month. A relevant HHK-drafted bill passed in the first reading will apply to male citizens who have turned 27 before December 1, 2017. They would have to pay roughly 3.6 million drams ($7,440) each.
Earlier in November, the Defense Ministry put forward an amendment stipulating that there will be no further extensions of the scheme. The parliament committee on defense and security rejected the amendment strongly criticized by its chairman and several members affiliated with the HHK. They included Karine Achemian, one of the authors of the bill.
The National Assembly debated the bill in the second reading on Tuesday. Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakarian made clear that the government is adamant in ensuring that the amnesty-for-cash arrangement is not extended beyond December 2019. He insisted that it only encourages draft evasion.
“At some point the law will cease to be a mechanism for avoiding military service,” Zakarian said during the final debate. “As a result of discussions with its authors, we arrived at common conclusions, so to speak.”
“It appears that the government does not intend to extend the law further because we don’t want to encourage people to flee [Armenia] … After all, we are a country at war,” Achemian told fellow parliamentarians.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) later in the day, Achemian confirmed that she no longer objects to the government’s stance.
Officials say that around 10,000 draft dodgers have bought an amnesty since 2004. Almost 9,500 other Armenian men remain on the run on draft evasion charges.
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