Draft objectors will serve up to 20 months
Military service for conscientious objectors will be trimmed to conform with a recent series of reductions in the time ordinary conscripts must spend in the armed forces, the Defense Ministry said yesterday. Currently, conscientious objectors are obliged to serve up to 30 months, depending on the nature of their duties. Those engaged in unarmed service in military units spend 24 months in the armed forces, while others who undertake community work serve 30 months. Conscientious objectors are only allowed to serve in the army. Under yesterday’s decision by Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, the maximum service for conscientious objectors will be 20 months. As of January 1, all other conscripts serve 12 months in the army, 14 in the air force and 15 in the navy.
