30 People's Deputies have submitted to the Verkhovna Rada an initiative that provides for amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine aimed at strengthening responsibility for torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This reflects the concern of parliamentarians about widespread facts of torture in law enforcement agencies and other state institutions where such practices have become established.
The draft law (No. 12319), which was registered in the Verkhovna Rada, proposes to single out crimes related to violence committed by officials, especially in places of forced detention. They want to add a new article to the Code - Article 3654 "Torture committed by an official" , which provides for criminal liability for the intentional infliction of severe physical pain or moral suffering on persons, in particular for the purpose of obtaining information or punishment for actions committed by other persons.
If these crimes are committed by a group of persons or for reasons of discrimination (for example, on the basis of racial, national or religious intolerance), the punishment can be increased to 15 years in prison.
Additionally, changes are being made to Article 3655 of the Criminal Code , which will qualify behavior that degrades dignity. It is proposed to punish such behavior with imprisonment of up to 3 years, or from 3 to 5 years, if it is committed with the purpose of discrimination or by a group of persons.
Liability will also be provided for the inaction of officials that led to torture or humiliation of detained persons. This will be punishable by imprisonment from 3 to 5 years.
People's deputies point out that torture and humiliation practices, in particular in places of detention, significantly increase social tension, which is already at a critical level in Ukraine. They believe that this also negatively affects the support of the government among citizens and reduces the level of trust in state institutions.
