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Opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan, who was released from pre-trial custody last week, on Monday denounced a proposal to significantly shorten the compulsory military service in Armenia in exchange for a hefty fee.

The bill, circulated by the Defense Ministry in late August, would allow draftees willing to pay the state 24 million drams to serve only four and a half months in the army.

In a public post on Facebook, Chalabyan, a member of the opposition Consolidation Movement, accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team of “consistent efforts to undermine national security” and to legitimize exemptions from military service in return for money.

“It’s worth noting that the ruling regime came to power primarily with the support of the relatively poor groups of society who were promised social justice, but at the first opportunity the regime is betraying its supporters and is selling everyone's constitutional duty for 24 million drams, thus dividing society into "first" and "second" class citizens and deepening social polarization,” he stated.

Chalabyan urged all those opposing the new measure to vote against the draft law open to public debate on the official website of the Justice Ministry.

“If you are against the bill, please take a few minutes to vote against it," he said.