Population: 28,000 (5,000 under 18)
Government Armed Forces: 16 in time of war or emergency
Compulsary Recruitment Age: 18
Voluntary Recruitment Age: 18
Voting Age: 18
Optional Protocol: signed 5 June 2000
Other Treaties: GC AP I, GC AP II, CRC, ILO 138, ILO 182, ICC

There were no reports of under-18s serving in the armed forces, but 16-year-olds could be recruited in time of war or emergency.

Government:

National recruitment legislation and practice

There was no compulsory military service in San Marino, and the minimum age for voluntary military service in the republic's armed forces was 18. The Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) carried out various ceremonial functions and could provide assistance in the preservation of order. The Guard of the Great and General Council (Guardia del Consiglio Grande e Generale) was charged with its protection and the protection of the Captains Regent (joint heads of state). The Fortress Guard included an artillery unit, and had responsibility for border control and customs operations and maintained security at important government buildings. The Gendarmerie was responsible for law enforcement and public security, including rescue operations in the wake of disaster.1

Although service in these forces was not obligatory, Law Number 15 of 26 January 1990 on the Regulation and Discipline of Military Corps and their Officers stipulated that all citizens between the ages of 16 and 60 could be recruited in a time of war or other national emergency.2 Article 1 of the 1974 constitution, however, stated that San Marino "rejects war as a means to settle disputes between States, and in its international policy, adheres to principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations". Article 288 of the Criminal Code prohibited any unauthorized formation of armed groups, while Article 284 criminalized any action aiming at the provocation of armed conflict within San Marino territory.3

1 Information from the San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs, October 2007; Guardia del Consiglio Grande e Generale, Functions, 2004, www.guardiadelconsiglio.sm.

2 Information from the Department of Foreign Affairs, October 2007.

3 United Nations Human Rights Committee, Second periodic report of San Marino, UN Doc. CCPR/C/SMR/2, 10 January 2007.

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