The Verkhovna Rada Proposes Criminal Liability for Cultural Genocide
On June 19, Bill No. 15331 was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; it proposes expanding the definition of genocide to include the destruction of culture, language, and historical memory. The initiative proposes imposing severe criminal penalties, including life imprisonment, for such acts.
The authors of the bill, including People’s Deputies Mykyta Poturaev and Yevheniia Kravchuk, propose a radical revision of Article 442 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The text of the initiative provides for severe punishment for occupiers and their accomplices who attempt to erase Ukrainian national identity.
According to the bill, so-called “cultural genocide” would become a criminal offense carrying the highest possible penalty. The proposal is to add a new subparagraph to the article that would punish the following:
- The destruction, damage, or misappropriation of objects of tangible and intangible cultural heritage;
- Systematically denying access to one’s native language, education, religious practices, and traditions;
- The destruction of historical memory or the elimination of cultural institutions.
The main condition for criminal classification is that these actions must be committed intentionally with the aim of eliminating a group’s cultural identity as a means of its physical or social destruction.
According to the draft law, such acts are punishable by 10 to 15 years of imprisonment, and in the most serious cases, life imprisonment. Incitement to such acts is punishable by three to seven years of imprisonment.
The draft law was developed in response to the Russian Federation’s systematic occupation policies. From the very beginning, Russian aggression against Ukraine has gone beyond mere combat operations on the front lines.
The Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy emphasizes that the damage to cultural heritage sites, museums, architectural complexes, and religious sites is part of Russia’s systematic policy aimed at destroying the historical memory and national identity of Ukrainians.
Source: Verkhovna Rada website
A bill had previously been introduced regarding the liability of judges in cases where the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) finds violations in their rulings.
