Belarus

Previous reports: 2024 | 2023/24

Principal EBCO concerns

• Alternative service is punitive and discriminatory in terms of duration (twice that of military service) and recognition is restricted to religious grounds only.

• The process for recognition of conscientious objectors is not under civilian control and lacks independence and impartiality from military bodies.

• No recognition of conscientious objection during or after military service or for military personnel.

• Stricter criminalisation of draft evasion.

• Non-compliance to international recommendations.

• Persecution of human rights defenders who protect the rights of conscientious objectors

• Exposure of minors to military programs and trainings.

As reported by EBCO’s Lithuanian member, Our House:²

Developments

2025: amendments to criminal liability legislation

On 17 February 2025, the President signed the Law “On Amendments to the Codes on Criminal Liability”.³ The changes affected, inter alia, the approach to liability under Article 435 of the Criminal Code (evasion of conscription-related obligations / military duty), and resulted in stricter liability for failure to appear at military commissariats and harsher penalties.⁴

The tightening of the law-enforcement context continues: amendments to criminal legislation (including provisions on evasion of conscription) and public statements by the state leadership indicate an increased emphasis on the compulsory nature of military service and discipline, without parallel guarantees for freedom of conscience.

The lack of transparent statistics persists: in 2025, official data continued not to be published on:

• the number of applications for alternative service and the outcomes of their consideration;

• attempts to refuse military service on grounds of conscience after the commencement of service;

• criminal prosecutions taking into account motives of conscience.

The gap with international standards remains: recommendations of international bodies (UN and human rights mechanisms) recognising conscientious objection as an independent right have not been implemented.

Conscription provisions and procedures

Compulsory military service (conscription) remains in force in Belarus, and conscription campaigns are conducted on a regular basis.

The key legal framework includes:

• Constitution, Article 57: establishes the duty to defend the state and stipulates that the procedure for military service, as well as the grounds and conditions for exemption or replacement by alternative service, are determined by law.⁵

• Law “On Military Duty and Military Service” (No. 1914-XII of 5 November 1992, as amended): the basic law regulating military duty, types of military service (including compulsory service and service in the reserve), conscription procedures, and related matters.⁶

• Presidential Decrees on the conduct of regular conscription campaigns (usually issued separately for the spring and autumn conscription periods). For example, Presidential Decree No. 302 of 12 August 2025 sets the framework for conscription and specifies that citizens who have reached the age of 18 by the day of conscription and who do not have, or have lost, the right to deferment are subject to conscription.⁷

• Law “On Alternative Service” (No. 276-Z of 4 June 2015; in force since 1 July 2016), which regulates the replacement of military service with alternative civilian service.⁸

The minimum age for conscription is 18 years (with the overall conscription age range being 18–27).⁹

Compulsory military service generally lasts 18 months, and 12 months for citizens with higher education.¹⁰

The total number of men conscripted per call-up is approximately 10,000.¹¹ Women serve only on a contract basis. Conscripts are men aged 18–27, and in practice those most frequently conscripted are young men closer to 18–20 years of age.

Reserve service

Reserve obligations apply and are mandatory.

Under current legislation, after completing compulsory military service, citizens — including those who have completed alternative service — are placed in the reserve and continue to bear military obligations until reaching the maximum reserve age, which depending on the category may be up to 60 years, and for certain categories up to 65 years.¹²¹³

The duration of reserve service is defined in legislation¹⁴:

• 3 training years — for citizens without higher education;

• 2 training years — for citizens with higher education;

• 1 training year — for those who completed training at military departments or faculties and passed the relevant examinations to obtain junior commander or officer skills.

The call-up procedure is carried out through military commissariats; written summonses as well as SMS notifications are permitted.¹⁵¹⁶

The system of military registration includes the expanded collection of personal data on reservists (place of work, education, family ties) by military commissariats and the KGB,¹⁷ which is used for planning reserve and mobilisation measures.

Draft evasion

The most commonly applied criminal provision for evasion of conscription-related obligations is Article 435 of the Criminal Code. Previously, the sanctions under this article included a fine among other penalties; however, by the Law of 17 February 2025 No. 61-Z, the penalty of a fine was excluded from Part 1 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code.¹⁸ Currently, penalties under this article include arrest, restriction of liberty, or imprisonment within the limits set by the sanction of the article.

It is not possible to accurately determine the number of persons prosecuted specifically for evasion of conscription-related obligations since the website of the Supreme Court only publishes general summary statistical data.

Conscientious objection provisions and procedures

The Law on Alternative Service provides for the replacement of military service with alternative service in cases where a person has religious beliefs that prevent them from performing military service or using weapons (for example, Jehovah’s Witnesses). Non-religious beliefs (pacifist or ethical convictions) are not covered by the law.¹⁹

In Belarus, applications for refusal of military service on grounds of conscience are considered within the procedure for replacing military service with alternative service. An application is submitted by the conscript to the conscription commission at the place of military registration before the start of conscription. The decision is taken by the conscription commission, which assesses the stated beliefs and decides either to assign the applicant to alternative service or to refuse the application; refusals may be appealed in court. Grounds for replacement of military service are recognised only in cases of religious beliefs,²⁰ and in practice access is limited to a narrow range of religious communities whose pacifist beliefs are recognised by state authorities (for example, Jehovah’s Witnesses).²¹

Decisions on applications for recognition of refusal on grounds of conscience are taken by conscription commissions which include representatives of local authorities, the military commissariat, medical institutions, internal affairs bodies, the KGB, and other state bodies.²² Such decisions are subject to judicial appeal.²³ However, in practice, appealing such decisions is virtually impossible due to pressure exerted on those who attempt to appeal.

Applications are generally rejected where the stated beliefs are not of a religious nature, are considered insufficiently substantiated, or where the statutory deadlines and procedures for submitting an application have not been complied with.

Statistics

The only available reference points are the numbers of persons actually performing alternative service (for example, 13 persons in 2017; 75 persons by March 2024; 110 persons by August 2025),²⁴ but these figures do not provide a complete picture of all applications submitted and decisions taken.

Terms of service

Alternative service is performed in civilian state and municipal institutions (healthcare, social services, housing and communal services, etc.) and lasts:

• 36 months: for persons without higher education;

• 24 months: for persons with higher education.²⁵

compared to the military service which is:

• 18 months: for persons without higher education;

• 12 months: for persons with higher education.²⁶

Places of alternative service in Belarus are assigned by local executive authorities; persons performing alternative service do not have the right to choose their place of service.²⁷ No guarantees exist for the possibility of performing alternative service at one’s permanent place of residence; assignment is carried out by local executive authorities and may involve service in a different locality.²⁸

Persons performing alternative service receive remuneration in the form of wages at the place of service, not lower than the statutory minimum wage, with taxes and mandatory deductions applied.²⁹ As a rule, this is minimum-level remuneration. Conscripts receive significantly lower monetary allowance, however these payments have a different legal nature.³⁰³¹

The system of alternative service in Belarus operates under the authority of the Council of Ministers and is implemented through local executive authorities, outside the system of the armed forces.³²

Access to information

Information on the possibility of applying for alternative service in Belarus is provided to conscripts in a limited manner — primarily during conscription procedures through military commissariats, without an obligation on the state to proactively and in advance explain the procedure for recognition of refusal on grounds of conscience.

Refusal to perform alternative service

Persons who refuse to perform alternative service after it has been assigned are held liable under the legislation, including criminal liability for evasion of the duties of alternative service.³³

Voluntary recruitment

The main legal act regulating voluntary enlistment (contract-based service) is the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service” No. 1914-XII (as amended),³⁴ supplemented by presidential decrees on conscription and subordinate regulations of the Ministry of Defence and/or the Government specifying the procedures for service.

The main incentives for voluntary (contract-based) service in the Armed Forces include:

• financial payments and allowances, including regular remuneration and bonuses;³⁵

• social benefits after service (inclusion of service in employment record, benefits for applicants to educational institutions);³⁶

• opportunities for career advancement and stability;³⁷

• state awards for merit and exemplary service.³⁸

Initial contracts for voluntary (contract-based) service are usually for a duration of 2–5 years.³⁹

Conscientious objection during and after military service

Belarusian legislation does not provide for the discharge of military personnel on grounds of conscience after the commencement of service. In such cases, the provisions of the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service”, as well as disciplinary or even criminal legislation, apply; the Law on Alternative Service does not apply.

Imprisonment penalties for desertion are 2–7 years for ordinary desertion and 8–15 years for desertion in conditions of war or armed conflict.

Militarisation of the education system

Elements of preparation for military service are integrated into the secondary education system.

For upper secondary school students, compulsory classes and activities are предусмотрены (for example, initial/pre-conscription military training, military-patriotic education activities, meetings with military personnel), which are considered part of the curriculum, even if certain formats are formally organised as courses or activities outside regular classroom lessons.⁴⁰

Temporary programmes for persons under the age of 18 are also available, providing insight into military service and careers, military-patriotic activities, handling weapons, conducted by military personnel.⁴¹ These programmes are implemented as part of the state policy on military-patriotic education.⁴²

The armed forces (through military commissariats) and the KGB (state security committees) have access to the personal data of pupils of conscription age, mainly males from the age of 16, within the framework of military registration. Schools and other educational institutions are obliged to transfer data like the full name, date of birth, address, information on education.⁴³

1. Military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2026.↩︎
2. More info about the organisation at: https://news.house/↩︎
3. Новое в уголовном законодательстве↩︎
4. Important Change For Conscripts Introduced In Belarus - Belarusian News - Charter'97↩︎
5. Ст. 57 Конституция РБ Защита Республики Беларусь↩︎
6. Law of the Republic of Belarus "About conscription and military service"↩︎
7. Decree No. 302 of 12 August 2025 On retiring and drafting personnel for active military service and reserve service | Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus↩︎
8. Альтернативная служба↩︎
9. Decree No. 302 of 12 August 2025 On retiring and drafting personnel for active military service and reserve service | Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus↩︎
10. Срочная военная служба — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь↩︎
11. Belarus Starts Sending Conscripts To The Army - Belarusian News - Charter'97↩︎
12. «О судебной практике по делам о преступлениях против порядка исполнения воинской обязанности, направления и прохождения альтернативной службы"↩︎
13. Предельный возраст состояния в запасе. Разряды запаса↩︎
14. «О воинской обязанности и воинской службе» – тематические подборки НПА на Pravo.by↩︎
15. Оповещение граждан — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь↩︎
16. Belarusians Subject To Military Duty Receiving Summonses En Masse - Belarusian News - Charter'97↩︎
17. BELARUS: The brutal trap: How Belarus turns young men into hostages of the military machine | Human Rights Without Frontiers↩︎
18. Закон Республики Беларусь от 17.02.2025 г. № 61-З «Об изменении кодексов по вопросам уголовной ответственности» – Pravo.by↩︎
19. Forum 18: BELARUS: UN appeal for fined conscientious objector - 11 January 2022↩︎
20. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
21. international_fellowship_of_reconciliation_belarus.pdf↩︎
22. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
23. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
24. Альтернативная служба | Министерство труда и социальной защиты Республики Беларусь. Официальный сайт↩︎
25. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
26. «О воинской обязанности и воинской службе» – тематические подборки НПА на Pravo.by↩︎
27. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
28. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
29. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
30. «О воинской обязанности и воинской службе» – тематические подборки НПА на Pravo.by↩︎
31. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
32. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
33. Закон Республики Беларусь от 04.06.2015 г. № 276-З «Об альтернативной службе» – Pravo.by↩︎
34. Zakon-O-voinskoj-objazannosti-i-voinskoj-sluzhbe.pdf↩︎
35. Денежное довольствие и иные выплаты — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь↩︎
36. Какие льготы в Беларуси предусмотрены для отслуживших в армии, рассказали в Минобороны: новости, беларусь, армия, вооруженные силы, министерство обороны, льготы, новости беларуси, общество↩︎
37. Служба в Вооруженных Силах Республики Беларусь - ВГУ имени П.М. Машерова - ВГУ имени П.М. Машерова↩︎
38. Орден «За службу Родине» (Беларусь) — Википедия↩︎
39. Ст. 46 Закон РБ О воинской обязанности Сроки контракта о прохождении военной службы 1914-XІІ от 5.11.1992 г. Закон Республики Беларусь О воинской обязанности и воинской службе Статья 46 Комментарий - Законодательство Беларуси 2025 год↩︎
40. Допризывная подготовка — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь↩︎
41. Белорусские военнослужащие активно участвуют в военно-патриотическом воспитании молодёжи — ВАЯР↩︎
42. Программа-патриотического-воспитания-населения-РБ-на-2022-2025-годы.pdf↩︎
43. Prilozhenie_2.pdf↩︎