Draftees’ Rights in Armenia Violated Mainly During Medical Examinations

The Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor office received 59 applications for violation of the rights of draftees during the winter 2016 and summer 2017 drafts, Coordinator of Peacebuilding Projects of HCAV Armine Sadikyan stated Monday when presenting a report on conscripts’ rights to reporters.

“Fifty out of 59 complaints were related to health problems. The remaining 9 people wanted to get clarifications about legislative regulations. There are often cases when Armenian citizens want to find out whether they can be called up for service or not. I’m mentioning this because there was an incident in which a Ukrainian citizen was summoned for a medical check-up for a draft,” Sadikyan said.

According to the HCAV report, the rights of conscripts are violated especially during medical examinations: “Although the law provides for a total and comprehensive physical examination, conscripts do not generally undergo this. The medical board does not always take into consideration the draftees’ complaints. What’s more, when a draftee expresses a wish to check his health state in a civilian medical institution, he is either denied an examination or corresponding documentation if he manages to undergo one.”

According to Sadikyan, a number of young men are often called up for service despite suffering from an illness or condition that renders them unfit to serve. “Draftees are eligible for an exemption or a deferment if they suffer from a moderate or a severe stage of [a list of illnesses envisaged by a defense minister decree]. Medical assessments, however, often replace ‘moderate’ with ‘insignificant,’ which assumes of a certain range of fitness.”