Inter­na­tio­nal Support of Conscien­tious Objec­tors and Deserters

Armenians who avoided military service will be allowed to pay a fine and be free from persecution

This will allow young people abroad who are older than 27 years of age to return home

(23.11.2017) Citizens of Armenia who are older than 27 years of age and who have left the country and did not serve in the army will be able to pay a fine within two years time and will be freed from criminal persecution and return home. The sum of the fine will be 200 000 drams or USD 420 for every missed draft period, totaling 3 600 000 drams (USD 7 500) for the entirety of the service term.

Armenia forcibly turns its youth into ‚soldiers‘

(15.09.2017) The Armenian army, which suffers from a lack of military personnel, is looking for ways to swell its ranks through new programs of conscription within the Nation Army concept.

Armenia: Imprisonment of two conscientious objectors for 24 and 30 months

Call to send protest letters

(06.12.2012) Two Jehovah's Witness conscientious objectors, Anania Grigoryan and Artsrun Khachatryan, have been imprisoned for 24 and 30 months respectively. This brings the number of people currently imprisoned for their conscientious objection in Armenia to 31.

Armenia: Imprisonment of conscientious objector violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights

(07.07.2011) In today’s Grand Chamber judgment in the case Bayatyan v. Armenia (application no. 23459/03), which is final, the European Court of Human Rights held, by a majority, that there had been a violation of Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned the conviction in 2003 of a conscientious objector - a Jehovah’s Witness - for his refusal to perform military service. He was imprisoned despite Armenia’s undertaking, when joining the Council of Europe on 25 January 2001, to introduce civilian service as an alternative to compulsory military service within three years and to pardon all conscientious objectors sentenced to imprisonment.