Armenia: Information on whether there is evidence that Armenians are being recruited to fight in Azerbaijan and whether military service is currently compulsory
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AMN17597.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Armenia: Information on whether there is evidence that Armenians are being recruited to fight in Azerbaijan and whether military service is currently compulsory, 1 June 1994, AMN17597.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abf418.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| 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 representative of the embassy of Armenia in Washington, DC, military service for a two-year period is compulsory for all men who have reached the age of 18 (6 June 1994). She also indicated there is no alternative civil service available (ibid.).
Please consult the attached UNHCR position paper on Armenian asylum seekers which provides current and detailed information on con-cription, military service, recruiting methods and consequences faced by deserters and draft evaders (April 1994).
Further information on forced conscription in Armenia to fight the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh can also be found in the other attached documents.
For further information on desertion, please consult Response to Information Request AMN16072.E of 10 January 1994.
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.
References
Embassy of Armenia, Washington, DC. 6 June 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Attachments
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 31 May 1993. "Armenia Concerned by Course of Spring Conscription to Armed Forces." (NEXIS)
_____. 18 June 1992. "Armenian Government Calls up Reservists for Military Training." (NEXIS)
_____. 7 May 1992. "Armenian Government Issues Orders for Military Conscription." (NEXIS) . 28 November 1991. "Armenia Sets up Defence Ministry Draft Law on Conscription Approved." (NEXIS)
The Ottawa Citizen. 30 April 1994. Final Edition. Alexis Rowell. "Graveyards Lined with Young Armenians; No Life like It: The Armenian National Army Doesn't Wait for RecruitsIt Goes to Them." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 17 May 1994. BC Cycle. Richard Balmforth. "Forced Conscription as Armenia Shows Strain of War." (NEXIS)
Russian Press Digest. 5 December 1992. Konstantin Petrov. "Armenia Commands 'To Arms!'." (NEXIS)
UNCHR. April 1994. UNHCR Position Paper on Armenian Asylum Seekers.
