Following the murder of a doctor in Kyiv, the Rada wants to toughen penalties for attacks on medical professionals
Following the death of a doctor during a military medical examination in Kyiv, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Health called for the swiftest possible consideration of Bill No. 10221. The bill provides for stricter criminal penalties for attacks on medical workers, including imprisonment of up to 12 years.
As noted by the Committee, the attack on the doctor occurred on July 29 at one of the capital’s regional recruitment centers. While undergoing a military medical examination, a man attacked the medical worker with a knife in the surgeon’s office, resulting in her death.
“Violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable. People who save lives and provide medical care to Ukrainians every day must be protected while performing their professional duties,” the Verkhovna Rada stated.
The Committee noted that Bill No. 10221 provides for strengthening criminal law protections for healthcare workers, emergency medical services personnel, pharmacy staff, rehabilitation specialists, and rescue workers.
Specifically, the bill proposes imposing stricter penalties for threats and attacks against members of these professions. Certain offenses could carry a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
The Committee also reported that it had previously appealed to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement, which is primarily responsible for drafting the bill, requesting that its consideration be expedited.
In addition, during a meeting with Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, the issue of designating Bill No. 10221 as a priority for parliamentary consideration was raised.
It should be noted that the bill was registered on November 7, 2023.
Lawmakers propose expanding the list of professions (medical workers, emergency response personnel, pharmacy staff, rehabilitation specialists, and rescue workers) and to amend the Criminal Code with new Articles 350-1 and 350-2:
- threats of murder, violence, or destruction or damage to property (punishable by correctional labor for up to 2 years, or arrest for up to 6 months, or restriction of liberty for up to 3 years, or imprisonment for the same term);
- intentionally causing beatings, minor, moderate, or severe bodily injury (punishable by restriction of liberty for a term of up to 5 years or imprisonment for the same term; or imprisonment for a term of 5 to 12 years);
- murder or attempted murder (punishable by imprisonment for a term of 9 to 15 years or life imprisonment);
- kidnapping or holding a person hostage (punishable by imprisonment for a term of 8 to 15 years).
This was reported by the Judicial and Legal Gazette.
As a reminder, a man in Kyiv stabbed a doctor to death at a TCC commission meeting.
A resident of Kropyvnytskyi was convicted for a series of posts on Telegram in which he threatened military personnel of the Territorial Defense Forces and the Special Forces, incited violence, and even wrote about kidnapping their relatives. The court sentenced the man to five years in prison but suspended the sentence with a two-year probationary period.
In the Odesa region, law enforcement officers detained the head of the district territorial recruitment and social support center in Dobroslav. At this time, there has been no official statement regarding the specific grounds for the detention. Details of the case are expected to be released after the initial investigative actions are completed.
