Rada recommends changing Criminal Code to comply with Rome Statute

The Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Law Enforcement recommends that the Parliament adopt as a basis the bill on the implementation of the Rome Statute into national legislation.

This is stated in the conclusion of the committee to the bill No. 11538, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

The Committee recommends including the relevant bill in the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada and, based on the results of consideration, adopt it as a basis in the first reading.

The bill is meaningfully and inextricably linked with the bill "On Amendments to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of Ukraine in connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Criminal Responsibility for International Crimes", after the adoption and entry into force of which the ratification of the Rome Statute will enter into force in Ukraine.

The bill No. 11538 defines the list of crimes that are considered international: the crime of genocide, directing the commission of genocide, public calls for genocide, its justification or denial, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of aggression, propaganda of an act of aggression, failure by a commander (chief) to take measures that could prevent subordinates from committing international crimes.

According to it, for the commission of an international crime, punishment can be applied in the form of: imprisonment for a term of up to 30 years, life imprisonment, confiscation of property as an additional punishment.

It is also proposed that amnesty should not be applied to those who have committed international crimes.

The purpose of the bill is to bring national criminal legislation into full compliance with the requirements of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to ensure fair, necessary and unavoidable punishment of persons who commit international crimes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on August 21, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.