Lithuania

On 1 July 2009, the last conscripts left the Armed Forces of Lithuania. This completes the transition of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to a volunteer force. On 13 March 2008, the Lithuanian Parliament passed a new law “On the Principles of Organisation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces”, which provides for parliament to set the number of conscripts to be recruited on a year by year bases, with the aim to suspend conscription (a 'zero' quota).

Issues

Lithuania does not recognise the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers.
Should conscription again be
enforced, a genuinely civilian substitute service for conscientious
objectors will not be available.

Military recruitment
Conscription

Conscription is enshrined in Article
139 of the 1992 Constitution, which says: “Citizens of the
Republic of Lithuania must perform military or alternative national
defence service according to the procedure established by law”

In this presentation I will give an overview of the right to conscientious objection, its
legal practices and frameworks in the 27 European Union member states. Before I do so, I want to step back a bit and have a brief look at the existing international standards about the right to
conscientious objection, as these standards allow us to put the practices in the EU member states into a perspective.

Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee : Lithuania. 04/05/2004.
CCPR/CO/80/LTU. (Concluding Observations/Comments)

(...)

17. The Committee reiterates the concern expressed in its concluding observations on the previous report about conditions of alternative service available to conscientious objectors to military service, in particular with respect to the eligibility criteria applied by the Special Commission and the duration of such service as compared with military service.

CCPR/C/79/Add.87
19 November 1997

(...)

12. The Committee is concerned at reported cases of harassment and use of excessive force by members of the army against conscripts and of police brutality against detainees.

Therefore: