Conscientious objection

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Ecuador

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21/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Art. 168 of the Constitution states that "Military service is compulsory for Ecuadorians in the form determined by law." The 15 September 1994 Law on Compulsory Military Service regulates military service. Recently, on 15 August 1997, a new regulation on the application of this law was issued (Reglamento de aplicaci--n a la ley de Servicio Militar Obligatorio).

Philippines

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14/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription is enshrined in art. 2 (sect. 4) of the 1987 Constitution, which states: "The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfilment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal military or civil service.". The previous constitutions of 1935 and 1973 contained similar provisions. [1]

A further legal basis for conscription is provided by sect.

Nepal

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14/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed in Nepal.

There are no known plans to introduce conscription, as voluntary applications to join the armed forces are sufficient to achieve the requisite number of recruits.

There are no known laws to provide for conscription in time of emergency or wartime. [2]

The government stated in 1994 that recruitment into the Royal Nepalese Army service is carried out with the consent of the concerned person and that forced recruitment is not allowed by law in Nepal.

Argentina

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14/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription not enforced

Conscription is enshrined in art. 21 of the Argentine constitution which states: "Every Argentine citizen is obliged to bear arms in defence of his country and of this Constitution". Yet, there has been no compulsory military service since 1994. However, in the event of armed conflict or a national emergency, conscription may be re-introduced. The 5 January 1995 Law on Voluntary Military Service (Law no. 24.429 Servicio Militar Voluntario) regulates military service.

CCPR/C/79/Add.91
8 April 1998

(...)

21. The Committee reiterates its concern, expressed during the consideration of Finland's third report, that Jehovah's Witnesses are granted by domestic law preferential treatment as compared with other groups of conscientious objectors and recommends that the State Party review the law to bring it into full conformity with article 26 of the Covenant.

(...)

Source: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CCPR.C.79.Add.91.En?Opendocument

Oman

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05/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed since gaining independence in 1970. [1] [2]

Oman does have the fourth highest per capita military expenditure of any country in the world. [1]

recruitment

The armed forces have difficultiy attracting the requisite number of recruits. About 10 percent of the army rank-and-file are foreigners.

After the achievement of independence in 1970, initially nearly all officers were Baluchis from Pakistan, except for senior commanders who were British.

Jamaica

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05/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed since independence was achieved in 1962. [1] [2]

There is no legislation providing for conscription. [1]

recruitment

Legal enlistment age is between the ages of 18 and 24.

2 Conscientious objection

There is no known legal provision for conscientious objection.

In 1998 the government stated that, as military service is voluntary, "the question of CO status does not apply".

Iran

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05/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription exists since 1925. [8]

The present legal basis of conscription is the 1984 Military Service Act, plus various decrees issued since than.

Military service is performed in the armed forces and the Pasdaran (Islamic Revolutionary Guard), which was established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, its prime responsibility being to preserve internal security. Since 1989 both the Pasdaran and the regular armed forces are under Ministry of Defence jurisdiction, but under a different command.

United Arab Emirates

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05/04/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed.

The introduction of conscription is not foreseen. However it was announced in 1990 that all university students had to undergo military training if they wished to graduate. Introduced as a reaction to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the authorities decided to regard this requirement as a possible prelude to reservist training. No further details are known.

Lebanon

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01/04/1998

From 1975 to 1991 Lebanon was involved in a civil war in which many armed groups and militia took part. Since 1991 most armed groups have been disbanded, except the Israeli-backed SLA (South Lebanese Army), which occupies the 'security zone' between the Israeli border and UNIFIL controlled areas, and Hizbollah, a fundamentatist Muslim group fighting the SLA and Israel. [7

1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription was first introduced in 1983 by Law 110/1983.

For years this law was not implemented.

Uruguay

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31/03/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

There is no compulsory military service in Uruguay. [1] [2]

However, a law applicable to civil servants permits their registration in order for them to receive military training. This law was passed during the Second World War but up till now has never been implemented. [6]

recruitment

The minimum recruitment age is 18 years. [7]

There are three military schools which accept 15-year-old boys and girls and train them for a military career.

Saudi Arabia

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31/03/1998 1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed in Saudi Arabia.

The armed forces have increased and been modernized significantly since the 1960s, which was deemed essential to protect oil wealth. After the 1990 Gulf War King Fahd announced a doubling of the army's size and the creation of a new reserve system.

Saudi officials have indicated, on several occasions, that conscription may be introduced.

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