Punishments for Avoiding 25-Day Military Gatherings to be Toughened

The newspaper "Žhoghovurd" reports: The punishments for those who avoid 25-day military gatherings will be toughened. What have Papikyan and the MPs discussed?

Yesterday, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan visited the parliament for a closed-format meeting with the ruling and opposition MPs of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense and Security.

Details have emerged from the meeting between Minister Papikyan and the lawmakers. According to our sources, the minister and the MPs discussed a package of legislative initiatives. The executive branch proposes to tighten penalties for those avoiding the 25-day military gatherings.

This "crucial" issue was the reason for Papikyan's visit to parliament. The government proposes to impose both fines and criminal liability on those who avoid military gatherings. The proposed criminal punishment includes imprisonment ranging from 2 months up to 2 years.

As we were informed, the draft must first pass through law enforcement agencies before it reaches the National Assembly, to ensure there are no legal inconsistencies.

It should be noted that a new round of 25-day military gatherings for reservists in Armenia will be conducted from January 2024 until April 12. These gatherings are mandatory for all reservists aged 20 to 55.