Soldier Declared Unfit for Military Service and Discharged Early 1.5 Years After Conscription

During the summer call-up of 2017, a soldier recognized as unfit for service due to several health issues was acknowledged as unfit for military service with the support of the Helsinki Civil Assembly’s Vanadzor office 1.5 years after conscription.

This was reported in response to inquiries from the Human Rights Defender’s office in Vanadzor by the head of the staff of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, G. Haroyan, in a letter dated January 9, 2019.

A. D. was initially granted a deferment for treatment for five months due to diagnoses including splenomegaly, liver cytolytic syndrome, and hyperbilirubinemia. Subsequently, without receiving treatment or experiencing any improvement in health, he was recognized as fit for military service with limitations during the summer call-up of 2017 and was conscripted into the Armed Forces of Armenia. Since his conscription, he has been under continuous medical supervision, undergoing tests and treatments.

One month after conscription, following his transfer to the Central Clinical Military Hospital in Yerevan, he was recognized as unfit for military service by the military medical commission of the Ministry of Defense due to examination results. However, after appearing before the central military medical commission, he was again deemed fit for service with limitations and was transferred back to his military unit.

The decision made by the Central Medical Commission on July 13, 2017, to recognize A. D. as fit for service with limitations was based on a one-sided evaluation of his diagnoses, disregarding evident illnesses and relying solely on some of them.

The protection of A. D.’s rights has been undertaken by the Helsinki Civil Assembly’s Vanadzor office since February 2018, aiming to subject the soldier to necessary medical examinations and to reconsider his fitness for military service. On March 12, 2018, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces responded that the soldier had undergone examinations and treatment and did not see the need for re-examination.

Despite claims to the contrary, A. D.’s father reported that his son's condition had worsened, citing incidents of fainting.

The Helsinki Civil Assembly’s Vanadzor office again applied to the Ministry of Defense on July 6, 2018, this time addressing Minister D. Tonoyan.

The Ministry of Defense initially informed that the soldier was undergoing examinations and treatment, and later on January 9, 2019, announced that after receiving treatment, A. D. was once again presented for examination to the central military medical commission, and 1.5 years after conscription, he was declared unfit for military service and discharged early.