Editing Draft evasion (section)

===Syria===
[[File:Syria- two years of tragedy (8642756918).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|alt=Bombed-out big city street|Aleppo during the [[Syrian civil war|Syrian Civil War]]. By 2016, 70,000 draft evaders had fled Syria,<ref name=Khan /> while others remained undetected inside it.<ref name=Bulos />]]
Syria requires men over 18 to serve in the army for two years (except for college graduates, who need serve only 18 months). Draft evasion carries stiff punishments, including fines and years of imprisonment.<ref name=Bulos>Bulos, Nabih (9 October 2018). "[http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-syria-amnesty-20181009-story.html  Syria's Assad Grants Amnesty to Army Deserters and Draft Dodgers]". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', online.  Retrieved 18 October 2018. Identical article appeared in the print edition as "Syria Offers Amnesty to Army Deserters" (10 October 2018), p.&nbsp;A4.</ref> After the [[Syrian Civil War]] broke out in 2011, many draft-age men began fleeing the country, sometimes paying thousands of dollars to be smuggled out. Others paid to have their names expunged from the draft rolls.<ref name=Bulos /> Meanwhile, the government erected billboards exhorting young people to join the army – and set up road checkpoints to capture draft evaders.<ref name=Bulos /> By 2016, an estimated 70,000 draft evaders had left Syria,<ref name=Khan>Khan, Adnan R. (4 April 2016). "Not Quite Tragic Enough". ''[[Maclean's]]'', pp.&nbsp;27–28. Retrieved 19 October 2018.</ref> and others remained undetected within its borders.<ref name=Bulos />

Observers have identified several motives among the Syrian draft evaders. One is fear of dying in that country's civil war.<ref name=Bulos /><ref name=Khan /> Others include obeying parental wishes and disgust with the government of [[Bashar al-Assad]].<ref name=Khan /> {{ill|Thomas Spijkerboer|qid=Q60690258}}, a professor of migration law at [[Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam|VU University Amsterdam]], has argued that Syrian draft evaders motivated by a refusal to participate in violations of international law should be given refugee status by other nations.<ref name=Khan />

In October 2018, the Syrian government announced an amnesty for draft evaders. However, an officer with Syria's "Reconciliation Ministry" told the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' that, while punishment would be canceled, military service would still be required. "Now the war is practically at its end, which means enlisting is no longer such a fearful situation", he said. "We expect we'll have very large numbers taking advantage of the amnesty".<ref name=Bulos />