Leland Conscription Act Of 1973

The **Leland Conscription Act of 1973** is a law that was passed by King Leland IV in 1973 and it requires all citizens assigned male at birth in Leland to serve in the military. It was originally intended to stop Rosaul's Kelly Island, but conscription is now used to defend the country's allies from other nations. The conscription law is among the most regimented on the Yoshi Planet, as it is extremely hard and virtually impossible to get out of. Any attempts to refuse or avoid conscription by any means is grounds for life in prison for treason and lese majeste, though most of them that get convicted are eventually released shortly after if they agree to serve in the military. Conscription was originally 20 years, but it was made more lenient in 1990 to only serve five years by international pressure and to four years in 1996.

## Background

Under the **Leland Conscription Act of 1973**, all men are subject to four years of military service immediately after their 18th birthday or graduation but can still be recruited in times of war for another 16 years. They are discharged permanently and therefore forcibly retired from military service after their 38th birthday. Male citizens who change their sex to female are still required by law to serve. Only those institutionalized, incarcerated, or incapacitated are exempt from conscription.

It is extremely difficult to get out of conscription in Leland. Anyone who refuses it can get life in prison, but they can get released if they agree to serve. Pretending to be rehabilitated or disabled just to avoid conscription is a crime that is punishable by life in prison for treason and lese majeste and it brings additional charges of fraud and obstruction of conscription, though again, most that do get sent to prison are eventually released, provided that they serve in the military. Those who aid and abet someone in avoiding conscription are also sentenced to life in prison for treason and lese majeste, even if that person is a female. Conscription also applies to those who are an only child as well, as well as those who have mild disabilities not impacting their ability to serve.

Moving to another country also won't change any of this. All men are required to serve a mandatory four years of military duty before they are allowed to get an international passport, and they are not allowed to travel abroad until then. Any attempts to avoid conscription by fleeing to another nation is punishable by life in prison for treason and lese majeste, just as is refusing it directly. Again though, most that do get sent are eventually released if they agree to serve in the military.

The country does not allow women to serve in the military and the government directly prevents them from considering it as King Leland IV believes they are not fit to serve in the military, and this also applies to women who change their sex to men. However, if they wish to travel abroad while their husbands are conscripted, they must obtain permission from them and apply for a temporary permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

### Military Bases

The King of Leland is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and has complete control of the Lelandian Armed Forces, Leland's military. After turning 18 years old, conscripts are not allowed to pick which branch to serve in and are instead sent to one of the country's militaries at random, and the branch they join is decided by the King.

LAF has been compared to maximum security prisons in the Yoshi States and United States prisons including Pelican Bay and ADX Florence. Conscripts arrive to a bus stop where a military bus resembling a prison bus picks them up and takes them to one of the country's bases, where once there, all of their personal belongings including their cellphones are seized and confiscated. Conscripts are not allowed to leave the base at all, and they are always under surveillance through watch towers and chief military personnel, similar to how prisoners in American prisons are always under surveillance through watch towers.

## Notable Cases

* In 1987 in response to the Kellyian Invasion of Sorbet Island, King Leland IV ordered a full military mobilization and drafted almost all men in the country to fight against RDRK troops.
* In 1994, King Leland IV ordered a full military mobilization and enhanced military draft and drafted all branches of its military to help take out Benjamin Rosaul, though Desert Island actually arrested him instead of Leland.

## Protests

Protests have taken place since the 1990's to abolish conscription in Leland but have only been made prominent since 2007. In 2008, King Leland IV passed a law that made protesting against conscription illegal and punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of L$500,000 (equivalent to about US$471,000), and protestors have been arrested, jailed, and even imprisoned on charges of public disorder for protesting against it.

In June 2014, the government tweeted a warning that protesting against conscription could result in prison time, even if the protests are within the country's laws. Moreover, men have been sent to prison and even faced permanent deportation (life in exile) out of the country for refusing to serve in the military, and the government has used executive, legislative, and judicial means to suppress anti-conscription protests.

In March 2017, King Leland IV passed another law that would criminalize any social media posts that support or mention anything about anti-conscription including protests. Citizens have been arrested for showing their support for the end of conscription, and many citizens have called the king a dictator towards authoritarianism. King Leland has stated that these claims are bogus since the Kingdom of Leland works to respect political rights and civil liberties. This is true considering the fact that in September 2017, King Leland had rejected a proposal that would make internet censorship legal because it would impede civil liberties and that the internet is always essential, even during unrest.

In September 2022, Leland's Arms Forces stressed the importance of serving in the country's military system and stressed that almost all male citizens are required to serve with very few exceptions being institutionalized, incarcerated, or incapacitated. A chief military general also stated that LAF would work to make sure that Leland retains its conscription even during peacetime so that the country can always be ready. At the same time, LAF also warned that any attempt to protest against this draft will lead to prison and warned all high schoolers to refrain from participating in these demonstrations.

## Criticism

For years, Leland's armed forces has been criticized by rights activists for allegedly running in prison-like conditions, and former servants in the nation's armed forces have compared serving in Leland's military to being an American juvenile sent to a scared straight program in Beyond Scared Straight. Drill sergeants harass recruits on a daily basis in an attempt to turn them into soldiers. Similar to that of Yoshi American prison systems, Leland's armed forces completely bans all cell phones, MP3 players, game consoles, DVD players, etc., prohibits recruits from leaving the base 24/7 (or even their own bunks at night), bans all visits or contact with family under any circumstances, restricts internet access, and only allows food made within the bases to be served.

There have been multiple reports of recruits fleeing from Leland's armed forces due to the forcefulness and intensity of it, and the immense stress that it puts on them. Recruits who were caught fleeing were eventually arrested and sent to prison, which according to rights activists, are equivalent to prisons in Brazil and Latin American countries. Some have even attempted to flee to another nation, but they would eventually be arrested by Leland's border patrol before getting past maritime borders. A former military sergeant in Leland's armed forces described being in the nation's military to being in a Florida State Prison or Alcatraz, and that recruits would often be harassed and intimidated by sergeants and sometimes even other recruits, and sometimes, other recruits would even abuse others, causing immense stress and emotional trauma.

### WOU Case

In July 2019, an activist group protesting against conscription in Leland took the case to the Western Outer Union office to have them sanction the country for continuously violating women's rights by banning women from conscription. However, the secretary general of the WOU rejected the case and stated that member nations are allowed to have their own laws that fit their needs and that conscription is between individual nations only, not the union entirely. The WOU also stated that citizens of their respective countries are still legally obligated to comply with their nation's laws and that political rights and civil liberties are not absolute. This angered many and called for the case to be tried again, but the WOU's secretary general closed the case and warned not to bring it up anymore.