Proposal to toughen liability for discrimination
President Yushchenko has submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law “On amendments to Article 161 of the Criminal Code regarding liability for infringements of equal rights on the basis of race, nationality or religious convictions.
According to the Presidents press service, the draft law is aimed at strengthening penalties for discrimination and will be presented to Parliament by the Presidents Authorized Representative on overseeing the work of the Security Service [SBU] Ihor Pushkin.
As we have reported on many occasions, the crime as worded in the present version of the Article is extremely difficult to prove, and very often charges are not even laid under it, with offences being treated, for example as hooliganism.
Based on information posted at www.president.gov.ua