Albania

24/07/1998

1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription, both into the armed forces and paramilitary forces, has existed since World War II.

Following the 1997 unrests it is unclear how far conscription is still enforced. The armed forces are at present being re-constituted.

military service

All men between the ages of 19 and 55 are liable for military service. [1]

The length of military service is 12 months. Its duration has been reduced from 15 months in 1995, from 18 months in 1993 and from 24 months in 1991 - in line with the reduction of the armed forces. [1] [4]

Reservist obligations apply up to the age of 40. [2]

postponement and exemption

Exemption can be achieved by paying the equivalent of USD 4,000. As such a sum is well beyond the means of most young men it is very difficult to get exempted from military service this way. [1]

recruitment

No information available.

2 Conscientious objection

The right to conscientious objection is not legally recognized and there are no provisions for performing substitute service. [1]

There are some known cases of conscientious objectors in recent years, all of them Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1996 four Jehovah's Witnesses were sentenced by military courts to four to six months' imprisonment under art. 16 of the Military Criminal Code for refusing to start military service. They were initially sentenced to fines and then sentenced to imprisonment when they persisted in refusing to perform military service. Some other Jehovah's Witnesses are said to have been arrested or to be under house-arrest awaiting trial. [1]

3 Draft evasion and desertion

penalties

Failure to respond to call-up is punishable under the 1995 Military Criminal Code. Art. 16 prescribes a fine or up to two years' imprisonment. [1]

practice

Since the 1980s draft evasion and desertion have increased significantly. The reasons include poor conditions and increasing crime within the armed forces, unwillingness to be assigned to remote areas of the country and the crumbling status of the People's Army in general. In the 1990s draft evasion and desertion in fact caused severe manpower shortages in the armed forces. [4]

It is not known how far control and punishment of draft evasion takes place. The scale of draft evasion evidently makes it difficult to prosecute all those involved. It appears that failure to respond to call-up is initially punished by a fine. When a conscript continues to refuse to perform military service he risks imprisonment. [1]

6 Annual statistics

The composition of the armed forces is very unclear following the 1997 unrests. [3]

In 1996 the armed forces comprised 54,000 troops, which is 1.5 percent of the population. There were 22,000 conscripts in the armed forces. [5]

Every year 34,500 men reach conscription age. [5]

Sources

[1] Amnesty International 1997. Out of the margins, the right to conscientious objections to military service in Europe. AI, London. [2] War Resisters' International 1990. Country report. WRI, London. [3] Institute for Strategic Studies 1997. Military Balance 1997/98. ISS, London. [4] US Library of Congress 1992. Albania - a country study. Area Handbooks, State Department, Washington DC. [5] Institute for Strategic Studies 1996. Military Balance 1996/97. ISS, London, UK.

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