The speaker believes that during conscription the decisions of the Medical Committee are rarely appealed in courts and if there were at least a precedent of court appeal even after being conscripted, the improvement will be evident.
The speakers included Artur Sakunts, chairman of HCA Vanadzor office, Armine Sadikyan, coordinator of Coordinator of HCA-Vanadzor Peace-building Department and medical expert Vardan Hambardzumyan.
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‘Violations during the conscription are not caused by the legislative gap only. In fact, they are violations of the practice of law application. Even if there is a legal act, it is not enacted,’ noted Armine Sadikyan.
Vardan Hambardzumyan said that Order 410 of the Defense Ministry has no provisions defining the criteria for severity of some illnesses. ‘There is biased approach to criteria for dysfunction determination’, as doctors themselves determine the stage of dysfunction.”
The report on Conscripts’ Rights during the 2013 Summer and 2014 Winter Conscriptions includes a case when a conscript was drafted three times and, nevertheless, instead of being granted deferment he was drafted for the fourth time which is a violation of law, Armine Sadikyan added.
The speaker noted that out of 26 applicants to HCA Vanadzor office 11 were consulted, the other 15 got comprehensive legal assistance. Ultimately, one conscript was granted exemption from compulsory military service, with the other six being drafted.
The representatives of HCA Vanadzor office believe that during conscriptions the decisions of the Medical Commission should be based not on complaints but on complex medical examination as the evaluation should not be made only based on current health conditions. The conscription should be regulated by a corresponding law rather than a legal act, namely Order 410 of the Defense Ministry.