The Armenian government has approved a bill introducing stricter penalties for avoiding compulsory military service and training assemblies, as part of proposed amendments to the country’s Criminal Code.

The draft law suggests amending Article 461, Part 1 of the Criminal Code to increase the prison sentence for evading military service from the current 2 to 5 years to a new range of 3 to 6 years.

Regarding evasion of training assemblies, the bill proposes modifying Article 462, Part 1 by increasing the financial penalty range from fifteen to thirty times the base rate. Additionally, the maximum prison term would be revised from “up to two years” to “one to three years.”

In its justification, the Ministry of Justice noted a consistent rise in draft evasion cases. In 2023, 1,499 criminal cases were initiated under the relevant article, and that number rose to 1,779 in 2024.

The bill must now be ratified by the National Assembly.