Document #1004564
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
For information on this subject up to June
1992, please refer to the DIRB Question and Answer Series
report entitled CIS, Baltic States and Georgia: military
Service. It indicates that a spring draft was carried out in
1992 and provides information on the terms of military service and
alternative service in Latvia.
An attached article provides details as to
who is eligible to be drafted and indicates that alternative
service in the form of "labor" is available (Baltfax 2 Oct.
1992).
It was not until early November 1992,
however, that the Latvian parliament passed two laws formulating
the "principles of recruiting for the defense forces" and
"responsibilities for nonobservance of the law," a possible
reference to penalties for draft evasion (Radio Riga Network 4 Nov.
1992; Baltfax 6 Nov. 1992).
The Latvian armed forces reportedly consist
of a number of components, including defense forces, a security
service and the Zemessardze, "voluntary armed formations
defending Latvian territory" (Baltfax 6 Nov. 1992). There is also a
"Home Defense Guard," but it is unclear from a 9 January 1993
report whether membership is voluntary or subject to conscription
(Radio Riga Network).
A recent report indicates that only Latvian
citizens are subject to the terms of conscription but that
permanent residents who are not citizens can join the armed forces
voluntarily (Baltfax 11 Mar. 1993).
Additional and/or corroborating information
is currently unavailable to the DIRB.
References
Baltfax [Moscow, in English]. 11 march
1993. "Only Citizens to be Conscripted During April Campaign."
(FBIS-SOV-93-047 12 Mar. 1993, p. 73)
_____. 6 November 1992. "Parliament
Passes Law on Defense." (FBIS-SOV-92-216 6 Nov. 1992, p. 70)
_____. 2 October 1992. "Official
Comments on Beginning of State Service Draft." (FBIS-SOV-92-193 5
Oct. 1992, p. 73)
Radio Riga Network [in Latvian]. 9
January 1993. "Meeting Discusses Home Defense Guard Role."
(FBIS-SOV-93-006 11 Jan. 1993, p. 56)
_____. 4 November 1992. "Parliament
Adopts Defense, Internal Affairs Bills." (FBIS-SOV-92-215 5 Nov.
1992, p. 73)