16:11, 22 September 2003

For three years 150 people have been convicted in Armenia for their refusal to serve

150 people have been convicted in Armenia for the last three years for their refusal to serve, most of them being members of the religious organization "Jehovah's Witnesses", which is unregistered in the country. Armenian Helsinki Committee Chairman Avetik Ishkhanian reported it at the conference on issues of introducing alternative service in the country that is being held in Yerevan. In the opinion of the human rights activist, the pacifist ideas are not so widely spread in Armenia, so one can hardly agree with those military men who contend that most young men will avoid military service after the alternative service is introduced. It should be noted that the adoption of the law "On the Alternative Service" is one of Armenia's commitments to the Council of Europe.

Source: PanARMENIAN Network News Server