Warning from Iranian Armed Forces Official to Draft Dodgers and Deserters

A senior official in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran announced an intensification in the arrest of draft dodgers and the imposition of restrictions on absentees and deserters. Moussa Kamali, the deputy of human resources at the General Staff, stated in an interview with Tasnim news agency on Friday, June 18, that 30,000 to 35,000 draft dodgers are arrested annually, and this year, these arrests will be intensified. Kamali announced that 'due to planned measures, the process of identifying and arresting draft dodgers has been intensified,' and restrictions against absentees will also be pursued 'more rigorously.' The three restrictions mentioned by this military official include 'prohibition from receiving loans and banking facilities,' 'employment,' and 'obtaining licenses.' The deputy of human resources at the General Staff also announced that factory and workshop owners who employ 'absentees' will face a fine of about five million tomans. According to him, this five million tomans is equivalent to the cost of service for one soldier, and it will be collected from those who employ these individuals, with the fine increasing to 15 million tomans for repeat offenders. According to responsible officials, Iran has over 1.5 million draft dodgers, with more than 300,000 of them seeking to purchase their military service. The Islamic Republic attempted to reduce this number by selling military service in 1998, but this plan faced significant opposition and was halted. After the cessation of this plan, the number of 'absentees' in Iran increased, leading to the reimplementation of the military service sale in a different manner. In the new plan, included in the budget law of 2015, absentees for more than eight years can be exempted from military service by paying a 'fine.' The fines for absentees vary based on their educational qualifications, ranging from ten million tomans for those without a diploma to 50 million tomans for specialized doctors. After the legalization of this plan, more than 280,000 individuals registered to pay the fine and be exempted from military service, but a significant number of them have not been able to pay these heavy fines. This situation has prompted responsible officials to consider a 'installment payment' plan for the fines. Kamali announced that the General Staff is negotiating with two banks, Qavamin and Ansar, to provide facilities to absentees. He stated that 'details regarding the amount of down payment, number of installments, and how and when exemption cards will be issued to these individuals' will be explained next week.