More Than Hundred Armenian Clergymen Were Groundlessly Exempt From Military Service

During the winter draft 2014 and the summer draft 2015, 106 clergymen were granted exemption or temporary deferral from military service in the Armenian Armed Forces under various decrees issued by the RA Government, Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office (HCAV) member Armine Sadikyan said at a press conference on Thursday, September 17. 

This amount of clergymen, as stated by Sadikyan, were exempt from service only by government decrees, which, along with health issues and other reasons, is one of many ways to get exemption or deferral. The government, she added, did not provide any justification for the clergymen's exemption.

“47 decisions on deferral and exemption were issued during the 2014 winter draft, 21 of them – on the part of clergy; while in summer 2015 there were a total of 98 decrees, 85 of them – regarding clergymen,” the human rights activist said.

HCAV head Arthur Sakunts, in turn, stressed that the number is especially noteworthy given the fact that “the Armenian Apostolic Church always accuses followers of other religious organizations of evading military service.”