No information on the prosecution of ethnic Albanians who refused to serve or failed to respond to military call-up notices during the 2001 insurgency could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Macedonia, enacted 23 July 1996, states that if a military person fails to complete compulsory service by leaving "his unit or service," he shall be fined or imprisoned up to one year while a person who abandons his unit or service during an important operation shall be imprisoned for three months to five years. Article 344 further states that if a member of the armed services leaves the country to avoid military service they shall face between one to ten years imprisonment (Macedonia 23 July 1996). For further information, please refer to MCD40320.E of 5 May 2003.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Macedonia. 23 July 1996. Criminal Code. (Public Prosecution Office of Republic of Macedonia) http://www.jorm.org.mk/docs/Criminal-Code.doc [Accessed 1 Apr. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

Attempts to contact or obtain information from the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Ottawa were unsuccessful.

Internet sites, including:

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

Radio Netherlands

Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of Defence

Ummahnews.com

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