Evading conscription is punishable by law

Article 57 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus states that the defense of the Republic of Belarus is the duty and sacred obligation of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus. The procedure for military service, the grounds and conditions for exemption from military service or its alternative are determined by law.

Evading military service is punishable by law.

According to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, evasion from conscription activities is subject to liability under Article 435. According to the sanctions of the first part of this article, the evader may face penalties in the form of a fine, arrest, restriction of freedom, as well as imprisonment for up to two years, while the second part of Article 435 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (evasion from conscription activities committed by intentionally inflicting bodily harm on oneself, simulating illness, or falsifying documents or other deception) provides for penalties in the form of restriction of freedom or imprisonment for up to five years.

The crimes provided for in Article 435 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus are frequently committed by residents of the Braslaŭ district.

Thus, in February 2018, under part 1 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, a resident of Braslaŭ, K., was convicted for repeatedly evading summons to the military commissariat during the conscription campaign and refusing to undergo a medical examination.

By the court's verdict, K. was found guilty of evading conscription activities and, based on part 1 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, was sentenced to a fine of 90 basic units.

S.S. Halimbouski
Deputy Prosecutor of the District