Lithuania: The penalty for failure to respond to a call-up notice to perform military service in Lithuania; the availability of alternative service
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 18 March 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LTU40687.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lithuania: The penalty for failure to respond to a call-up notice to perform military service in Lithuania; the availability of alternative service, 18 March 2003, LTU40687.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4dc77.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a United Nations report titled The Question of Conscientious Objection to Military Service, "[a]rticle 79 of the Penal Code of the Republic of Lithuania stipulates that evasion of the regular draft or alternative (labour) service may be punishable by imprisonment for up to two years" (16 Jan. 1997). Further, "[i]f a conscript deliberately injures himself, simulates illness, forges documents or avoids performing his duty in any other way, he may be committed for from one to five years of imprisonment" (United Nations 16 Jan. 1997). The report also states that under Article 80 of the same Code, if a person evades mobilization to the National Defence Service, they may be imprisoned for two to five years (ibid.). See also LTU21460.E of 21 August 1995 for information on the penalties for evasion and desertion in the Lithuania military.
The Website of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence states that if a person cannot perform mandatory military service due to religious or pacifist convictions, the the "statutes of National Defence and Discipline" (ibid.).
Regarding the situation of Baptists, according to the UN, there is no list detailing the grounds on which conscientious objection would be recognized (United Nations 16 Jan. 1997). Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis (ibid.).
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.
References
Lithuania. n.d. Ministry of National Defence."Alternative Service."
United Nations Economic and Social Council. 16 January 1997. The Question of Conscientious Objection to Military Service. (Human Rights Internet). Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Internet sites including:
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania
Embassy of the United States of America - Stockholm, Sweden
Global March
Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Justice
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
UNHCR
War Resisters International
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