The Verkhovna Rada at the meeting on May 8 voted in the second reading and in general for bill No. 11079-1 on the voluntary mobilisation of convicts.
Who can be mobilised from the convicts?
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that 279 people's elected representatives supported the law.
Anti-corruption risks (in particular, regarding top corruptors), which were emphasised by the anti-corruption committee, were only partially removed.
The document proposes, during the period of mobilisation and martial law, to allow prisoners to be released on parole (according to a court decision) in order to perform military service under a contract.
According to the procedure, they will be able to write a statement in their penitentiary institution, undergo a medical examination in the prison, and only then get to the recruitment center. The prisoners will undergo a military medical examination and a mental state assessment. The military unit itself will decide whether it is ready to mobilize the prisoner.
Convicted persons will not be able to mobilise for:
crimes against the foundations of national security of Ukraine;
intentional killing of two or more people or combined with rape or sexual violence;
crimes against sexual freedom (rape, sexual violence, abusement of minors, etc.);
terrorism;
drunk driving, which has resulted in several deaths;
corrupt officials.
There are clarifications on several points.
What is known about the mobilisation of convicts
The leader of the "Servant of the People" party, Olena Shulyak, said that almost 500 amendments were submitted to the bill after the first reading. About 80 of them were taken into account.
According to her, mobilisation was allowed for those who committed unintentional murder if they were not under the influence of narcotic drugs or under the influence of drugs that reduce attention and reaction speed.
The same condition applies to all those who can potentially be mobilised - no more than three years must remain before the end of their sentence. "Prisoners who have a longer stay in prisons, and even more so, those sentenced to life, will be refused immediately without the right to review," adds Shulyak.
If a convict released for service in the Armed Forces evades the contract or the service itself, he will face 5 to 10 years of imprisonment. If a person commits a new crime while serving in the Armed Forces, then the unserved part of the sentence from the previous sentence will be added to the punishment imposed under the new sentence.
Shulyak informs that the contract of such servicemen is terminated based on the state of health based on the conclusion of the military medical commision, in the event of a new crime and a court verdict for it, and in the event of the end of a special period or the announcement of demobilisation.
Convicts released for service will not be granted annual leave, but they can receive it for treatment after a wound, contusion, injury, or mutilation. Such leave is given exclusively in health care facilities at the military serviceman's place of stay.
Now, the document must be signed by the head of the parliament and the president.
