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On February 13, 2018 Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office submitted proposals to the RA Ministry of Justice with regard to the RA Draft Law on Introducing an Amendment in Article 327.1 Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code (Civilian Recruits Abandoning the Place of Service Arbitrarily).

With the draft law it is proposed to criminalize civilian recruits abandoning the place of service arbitrarily for the period from one hour to three days three or more times in three months or failing to show up for service on time without good reasons.

However, under the current law criminal responsibility is prescribed for abandoning the place of service arbitrarily for the period from one to three days three or more times in three months or failing to show up for service on time without good reasons.

This means that the presented draft is aimed at criminalizing an entirely new act instead of ensuring the clarity of the already existing norm. There is no basis for considering that the act described has such a degree of public danger that will allow for the criminalization of it.

HCA Vanadzor has proposed to:

1. withdraw this article of the draft from circulation entirely,
2. create mechanisms to study and disclose the reasons for a civilian recruit failing to show up for service without good reasons,
3. establish a working group to discuss the possibility of de-criminalizing the act of a civilian recruit failing to show up for service without good reasons.

The proposals in Armenian can be accessed HERE.