Document #1320226
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
The counsellor of the Embassy of the
Republic of Slovenia in Ottawa provided the following information
on the above subject during a telephone interview on 3 June
1994.
Although draftees are required to register
for military service at the age of 17, they begin their military
service at the age of 18. Draftees who have reached draft age but
who wish to continue their studies are permitted to do so, but they
must begin their service before they reach 27 years of age.
Military service in Slovenia is not
conditioned on ethnicity. Regardless of ethnicity, only all male
citizens of Slovenia who permanently reside in Slovenia are
required to serve military service. Draftees such as students who
temporarily reside abroad are also liable for military service upon
return to Slovenia. However, draftees who permanently reside abroad
and wish to maintain that status are not liable for military
service. These draftees must inform the military authorities about
their status in order to be officially exempted.
Regardless of their ethnicity, during the
war of independence all eligible draftees, including Slovenians of
Serbian origin, were conscripted. During that war no one was denied
or exempted from military service because of his ethnicity. The
DIRB does not have corroborative information on this subject.
Attached please find a copy of an
unofficial translation of the Slovenian military service law
available to the DIRB in Ottawa.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB 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.
Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia. 3
June 1994. Telephone interview with counsellor.
Slovenia. Law on Military Duty. 27 April
1991, pp. 1-25.