A draft evasion lawyer in Armenia helps two groups of people. The first group lives abroad, did not serve in the army and wants to visit family or return for good. The second group already faces a criminal case for evasion of military service. For both, the main risk is the same: arrest at the airport or at a land border, when a person enters without knowing that a case is open.
Check your status before you enter Armenia
A man who was due to serve and did not can be in one of several situations:
- he is registered with the military commissariat, and there is no case;
- he was called up, did not appear, and a criminal case has started;
- the case is open, and he is on the wanted list;
- he had grounds for a deferral or exemption that were never processed.
A person on the wanted list can be detained at passport control and brought before a court. Within 72 hours he must be released or brought before a judge, and only a court can order detention. The time to find out your status is before you buy a ticket. The page what to do if you are arrested explains the first hours.
How the advocate checks your status
You sign a power of attorney at a notary or at an Armenian consulate abroad. With it the advocate:
- sends official inquiries to the military commissariat and to the Investigative Committee;
- finds out whether a criminal case exists and at what stage it is;
- checks whether you are on the wanted list;
- checks grounds for deferral or exemption under the law, such as health, family situation or study;
- tells you whether it is safe to travel and what to prepare.
Ways to settle the status
Armenian law has at times offered people who evaded service a way to settle their status, in some periods on condition of a payment, and to be released from criminal liability. These rules changed over time and had their own deadlines and conditions. The advocate checks which rules apply today and whether you meet them. Do not rely on old information from friends or online forums.
Defense in a criminal case
The Investigative Committee investigates cases on evasion of military service. If a case is already open, the defense checks:
- whether you were properly notified of the call-up, for example when a summons went to an old address or to relatives;
- whether you had a legal ground for deferral or exemption at that time;
- whether the limitation period has expired;
- the reasons for your absence, such as illness, family duties or legal residence abroad.
A voluntary appearance before the investigator, planned with the advocate, is an argument against detention. The advocate asks the court for bail or another non-custodial measure. Read more on pretrial detention. A judgment can be appealed, see appeals.
What not to do
- Do not fly to Armenia to settle the matter in person without a status check.
- Do not ignore a summons that relatives received. Tell the advocate about it.
- Do not give explanations at the border or to the investigator before you speak with the advocate.
How draft evasion lawyer Mnatsakan Marukyan helps
Advocate Marukyan is a criminal defense lawyer in Yerevan and a member of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia. He works in Armenian, Russian and English, with clients in Armenia and abroad.
- He consults online from any country.
- He checks your status through official inquiries.
- He plans the trip and the voluntary appearance, if one is needed.
- He comes to the airport, the police station or the court if you are detained.
- He defends you at the Investigative Committee, in court and on appeal up to the Court of Cassation.
The first consultation is free. Call +374 91 403961, or write on WhatsApp or Telegram. Advocate Marukyan is available 24/7 for arrests and searches.