Iranian Parliament Tightens Conditions for Drafted Soldiers
The Iranian Parliament voted Thursday to stiffen conditions of national service, approving a bill requiring all drafted soldiers to spend one year in operational zones on the war front with Iraq or in northwestern Kurdistan.
Speakers said they wanted amendments to the law to prevent people from using influence to secure soft postings for relatives in Tehran or provincial cities.
The chief of the draft board, Col. Khalil Razmju, told the newspaper Ettelaat this week that the amendments are also intended to make life more difficult for draft-dodgers.
After a three-month grace period, Razmju said, men who fail to register will have to serve three to six months extra in the armed forces after they are caught.
Police have been ordered to seek out, arrest and imprison for up to three years anybody employing such a person during wartime.
Young men who have not registered for national service cannot receive diplomas or degrees, get a business permit, leave the country or be employed by the government.
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