Law proposed to recognize children as victims of political repression

The Verkhovna Rada has passed as base a draft law on amendments to the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression in Ukraine” (on the status of people who suffered in childhood from political repression)

The draft law (reg. №5040 ) proposes adding provisions which define the legal status of people who in childhood suffered from repression (as children of victims of repression) and guarantees of their social defence.

According to the draft law, victim of political repression status would be given to people born of women who were at the time serving terms of imprisonment or held against their will in medical establishments and later rehabilitated; those who up to the age of 18 were together with their parents, one of whom was serving a term of imprisonment, exile, resettlement or in a special settlement, and later rehabilitated; or who had before the age of 18 been left without parental care, where one or both parents had been repressed and later rehabilitated in accordance with the law.

The draft law also proposes extending the list of benefits envisaged by the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression in Ukraine” for those rehabilitated to people recognized as having suffered political repression. These include housing benefits, the opportunity to receive concessionary trips to sanatoriums for those who are disabled or pensioners, free use of public transport and some medical benefits, including a 50 % discount on prescription drugs.