Bosnia and Herzegovina: Whether a male citizen of Bosnia, born in 1977, who left the country in 1991 and never returned, face any penalties or other problems upon his return for not having performed his military service and whether he would be compelled to serve upon his return
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 10 August 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BOS37680.E |
| Reference | 4 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Whether a male citizen of Bosnia, born in 1977, who left the country in 1991 and never returned, face any penalties or other problems upon his return for not having performed his military service and whether he would be compelled to serve upon his return, 10 August 2001, BOS37680.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be1528.html [accessed 18 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. |
In an 8 August 2001 telephone interview, a representative of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ottawa stated that a male citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, born in 1977, who left the former Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991 and who never returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina would have become eligible for military service at age 18 and would, in theory, be under the obligation of performing his military service if ever he returned to his country of origin, provided he was registered for military service in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If he was not previously registered, the authorities would find out that the returnee was not registered upon his application for a national identity card and the returnee would then be compelled to perform his military service (ibid.).
The representative also stated that in practice, due the current conditions prevailing in Croatia, the consequences for having not performed military service will depend on the ethnic origin of the Bosnian returnee and on whether he comes from areas populated by Croatian, Muslim or Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the returnee is an ethnic Croatian or comes from an area populated by Croatians, he may not be compelled to perform his military service (ibid.).
No further information on the obligation to perform military service in the case of a Bosnian citizen who was born in 1977 and who left Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
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
Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ottawa. 8 August 2001. Telephone interview with representative.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
LEXIS/NEXIS
Internet sources including:
European Bureau for Conscientious Objectors (EBCO)
War Resisters International (WRI)
Oral sources, including:
A representative of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) was contacted by e-mail but did not provide the requested information within the research time limits.
