Features of responsibility for criminal offenses during martial law in Ukraine: a legislative review 2022-2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61345/1339-7915.2023.5.5Keywords:
martial law, aggressor state, collaboration activity, looting, combat immunity, criminal liability, aiding the aggressor state, humanitarian aidAbstract
The article is devoted to the review of the legal regulation of criminal liability for the criminal offenses committed during the martial law and the state of emergency in connection with the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, which has escalated into a full-scale war since February 24, 2022.
The author examines a package of criminal legal acts which regulate a number of issues related to enhancing criminal liability of criminal law subjects during the martial law. It was found that the introduction of martial law and the state of emergency has its own specific regulations, which means that along with the possible temporary restrictions on the constitutional rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen for the period of the legal regime of martial law in the state, the specific means and mechanisms of legal regulation of substantive criminal law are becoming important in strengthening criminal liability for collaborative activities, the distribution of information aimed at promoting the actions of the aggressor state, crimes against the foundations of national security, looting etc. The article also considered circumstances that exclude the criminal illegality of an act and provide combat immunity under conditions of martial law.
The latter primarily include the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Participation of Civilians in the Defense of Ukraine” of March 03, 2022 and the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and Other Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Determining the Circumstances Excluding Criminal Illegality of an Act and Ensuring Combat Immunity in the Conditions of Martial Law” of March 15, 2022. In addition, the Criminal Code was supplemented with Article 43-1 “Fulfillment of the duty to protect the Motherland, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. Furthermore, Section 2 “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the current Criminal Code of Ukraine was supplemented with the paragraph 22 as follows: “Civilians shall not be criminally liable for the use of firearms against persons carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine, if such weapons are used in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Participation of Civilians in the Defense of Ukraine”.
In general, taking into account our own experience and the experience of the international community, it is necessary to improve all criminal law institutions, both in the direction of criminalization and decriminalization of certain criminal offenses, given the special tasks of criminal law in a state of emergency. The primary task of the modern criminal law of Ukraine is to ensure the right to life, health of a person and citizen, to ensure peace and security, and to counter criminal offenses committed by the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian people.
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