Government approves Draft Law on Restoring the Rights of Deported Peoples

The government website reports that the Government has approved a draft Law on Restoring the Rights of People deported on ethnic grounds.  It states that the Law is aimed at ensuring the necessary conditions for return, settling, social adaptation and integration of people deported on ethnic grounds into Ukrainian society and guarantees of equal rights, cultural and spiritual development.

The adoption of this law will, the site says, define the principles of State policy with regard to those once deported who return of their own free will to Ukraine, their status, State guarantees with regard to reinstating their rights, the powers of State executive bodies and bodies of local self-government.

It is envisaged that the Law, once approved, will be implemented via the relevant programmes through money from the State budget, the budget of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, regional State administrations, the budgets of bodies of local self-government, and other sources.

[It remains to be seen whether this Law will be passed by parliament and come into force.  There has been a pressing need for such measures since 1991, however a law with the same title was returned by President Kuchma for reworking in 2004.  Despite a lot of statements of good intent, no real progress had been seen in subsequent years.  Translator]