The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine proposes to mobilize prisoners to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine without their consent, as it considers it the duty of every citizen to defend the country.
Justice Minister Denys Malyuska stated on a live news marathon that the draft law on mobilization proposes to involve convicts in military service at their request, but he advocates a "more radical" approach.
According to him, there will be no survey of prisoners to see if they want to serve, or how many of them are willing to do so. “No one will ask them. At least, this is our position. It is the duty of every citizen to protect the state,” Malyuska said.
The Minister emphasized that the decision on whether a person with a criminal record will serve is made not by the person themselves, but by the Territorial Military Commission based on mobilization tasks and medical reports. At the same time, he expressed surprise why all citizens are obliged to defend the state, but convicted persons are not obliged to do so.
According to Maluska, the Ministry of Justice is currently working on prisoners, and the approach to them will be slightly different. The Ministry wants Territorial Military Commissions to determine which prisoners may be useful for military service and which may not.
