The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the law ”On amnesty in 2016” with the proposals by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (No. 4255), according to an UNIAN correspondent.
After many attempts, the law was voted by 226 MPs out of 308 registered in the session hall (with the required minimum of 226).
President`s envoy in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Artur Gerasimov noted that the [initial] bill could not be signed by the President, taking into account that the terminology of the law on the definition of the circle of persons to whom the amnesty applies must comply with the Law on Amnesty and the Criminal Code.
In particular, in most cases, the law used the terms ”person convicted of a crime” and ”convict.” So, the possibility of amnesty to persons, whose criminal cases were heard in court, but their sentences have not yet entered into force, was ruled out unreasonably.
In addition, Article 2 of the Law provided for the exemption from punishment of imprisonment for a definite period and other punishments not related to deprivation of liberty for such a category of persons as the indicted.
