19.09.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Conscientious objectors continued to maintain that military control of the alternative labor service amounted to unacceptable military service ("International Religious Freedom Report 2008") [ID 24790]

"The Law on Alternative Service allows conscientious objectors--subject to government panel approval--to perform either noncombatant military or labor service duties rather than serve as combat-trained military personnel. The law took effect in 2004 and applies to subsequent draftees and those serving prison terms for draft evasion. A January 2006 amendment to the Criminal Code criminalizes evasion of alternative labor service. However, conscientious objectors continued to maintain that military control of the alternative labor service amounted to unacceptable military service.[...] Conscientious objectors continued to face problems in obtaining necessary documents from the military commissariat."

Document(s): Open document

23.02.2006 - Source: Forum 18

Justice Minister David Harutyunyan claims that new alternative service law will be finished soon; service remains under military control; Council of Europe criticises new law and claims lack of genuinely civilian alternative service; 48 people in prison because rejecting current form of alternative service ("Will new alternative service law end defiance of Council of Europe?") [#44895],  [ID 3305]

Document(s): Open document

07.11.2005 - Source: Forum 18

Foreign ministry admits that control of military over alternative service is violation to commitment to Council of Europe to introduce genuinely civilian alternative service by January 2004; 4 Jehovah's Witnesses sentenced to 3 years each for abandoning alternative service in psychiatric hospital in May ("We are breaking our Council of Europe commitments, official admits") [#38744],  [ID 3306]

Document(s): Open document

23.09.2005 - Source: Forum 18

22 Jehova's Witnesses abandoning alternative military service because it remains under defence ministry control face severe punishment; 1 imprisoned by Yerevan court for two and a half years for desertion ("New wave of Jehovah's Witness sentences begins") [#37260],  [ID 3307]

Document(s): Open document

26.05.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Unarmed military service of 3 years or alternative civilian service for three and a half years adopted ("Annual Report 2004") [#22630],  [ID 3308]

"Parliament adopted a law in December that provided for unarmed military service of three years or alternative civilian service under the Ministry of Defence for three and a half years – almost double the length of ordinary military service.

Conscientious objectors continued to be sentenced to prison terms despite Council of Europe requirements that all those imprisoned for conscientious objection should be freed. By December, prison sentences of between one and two years had been imposed on at least 27 men, all Jehovah’s Witnesses, for conscientious objection. Five more had been arrested and were awaiting trial. A further two had been released on parole."

Document(s): Open document
Open document

04.05.2004 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Several cases of torture and ill-treatment in police custody during government crackdown against opposition in April 2004 ("Cycle of repression: Human rights violations in Armenia") [#21895],  [ID 3309]

"Human Rights Watch documented several cases of torture and ill-treatment in police custody during the government crackdown against the opposition in April 2004. Opposition party officials claim that during this period police regularly beat their supporters in police custody: “There were lots of cases of people being beaten at the police stations after detention, especially those who came from the regions.”75 Armenia is obligated under international law to prevent acts of torture.76

On the night of April 12-13, Oride Harustanian was detained with a group of women, including her nineteen-year-old daughter, at the Republic Party headquarters. Police took them to the Erebuni police station in Yerevan where the police shouted and swore at them. They were placed in a room. Harustanian told Human Rights Watch, “Then the head of the Erebuni police came in. He came up to me and said ‘So you want to take power,’ and slapped me three times very hard on the face.”77 He then went to each person in turn and assaulted them, kicking and kneeing them, and punching one woman in the head. Several of the group had serious bruising to the legs after the attack. Police did not provide food to the group on the day of April 13. Members of the group were held for up to thirty-six hours, and were then released, some receiving administrative fines, others receiving no explanation as to the reason for having been detained.78

Police also detained a young woman on the night of April 12-13.79 She was taken to a local police station in Yerevan with a group of opposition party activists. Police separated her from the group and put her in a room in the police station. There were four or five uniformed police in the room. She told Human Rights Watch:

Then someone came in, a high level police officer. All the other police stood up for him when he came in. I also stood up and he began to beat me, kicking my body, hitting my face and swearing terribly. I was so scared that I wet myself. He beat me for about ten or fifteen minutes… I cried the whole time. I couldn’t speak… Then I heard loud voices in the corridor, shouting and swearing… It was the head of the [police station]. He came in and said ‘Ah, it was you who was at the protest.’ I said ‘no, it wasn’t me.’ He began to beat me with his fists and knees to my stomach. I fell and he kicked me on my back. He said, ‘now all our men will come in and rape you.’ He said worse things… He went on four about twenty minutes. I don’t remember everything. I remember coming to lying on the table. Then he left. I was on the floor.80

She was released from custody after eighteen hours in detention. She received no explanation for her arrest. According to the young woman and a relative who cared for her after her release, she had bruising all over her body, and was suffering from severe stomach pains."

Document(s): Open document

08.05.2003 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Armenia must adopt a law on alternative military service that meets European standards within three years of its accession to the Council of Europe ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Armenia") [#12599],  [ID 3310]

"In compliance with commitments undertaken before the Council of Europe, Armenia must adopt
a law on alternative military service that meets European standards within three years of its accession
to the Council. Before adopting the law, Armenia must pardon all conscientious objectors from
military service.
Contrary to this commitment, the courts in Armenia continued to sentence Jehovah Witnesses to
imprisonment. During 2002, a total of 37 men were convicted under the Article 75(1) of the Criminal
Code for "objection to military service.”
· In November, the Court of Appeal extended the sentence of Arthur Grigoryan and Karen
Abajyan from one to two and a half years. The proceedings were initiated by the Public
Prosecutor’s Office.
As of the end of 2002, seventeen Jehovah Witnesses were serving prison terms for conscientious
objection to military serve. An additional four were in pre-trial detention facilities awaiting court
proceedings.
The draft law on alternative service was elaborated in 2002 by a standing commission on
defense, national security and internal affairs at the parliament. Only those civil society organizations
who basically agreed with the contents were consulted.15"

Document(s): Open document

28.11.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

For the time being there is no alternative service but a draft law on alternative military service is in the making ("8th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Vienna, 28 - 29 June 2002: Final Report - Armenia - co-funded by the EU Odysseus Programme") [#9877],  [ID 3311]

"For the time being there is no alternative service but a draft law on alternative military
service is in the making. Still, the introduction of an alternative service is currently one of
the most controversial issues in Armenia. In fact, one of the obligations for Armenia to
accede to the Council of Europe is to pass such a law. Primarily, this relates to the
Jehovah’s Witnesses and their principal (conscientious) objection to military service. As
regards the content of the draft law, the latest version that was presented gives young
men of draft age the possibility to serve in a military unit that does not oblige them to
carry arms. However, this is not sufficient for the Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that
their members should not serve anybody, including a military commander, but God.
Furthermore, the draft law on alternative military service foresees a length of service of
four instead of two years, which is quite long. Yet, this is not the final version and there
are still a lot of sometimes heated debates on the issues.
GK:
Yet, in practice, some kind of alternative to the regular military service already exists,
which would allow post-graduates to opt for civilian positions after completion of their
four-month basic training. Typically, these individuals would obtain technical jobs or
positions as teachers in border area village schools - in so called regions-at-risk.
Nevertheless, this represents a compromise and can by no means be considered a fullfledged
alternative service."

Document(s): Arm-cois2002-rep.pdf

10.2002 - Source: Sakharov Armenian Human Rights Centre

The presented version of the draft law on Alternative Military Service proved to be immoral and reactionary ("Analytical Report (period covered: 1 September 2001 to 30 September 2002)") [#9949],  [ID 3312]

"By order of the European Council the RA National Assembly considered
the RA Draft Law on Alternative Military Service, but the
presented version proved to be immoral and reactionary."

Document(s): Open document