PRESIDENT'S
BILL COMPLICATING ALTERNATIVE SERVICE ADOPTED
Institute
of
Religious Liberty, 18 February 2016
The Supreme
Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of Ukraine adopted draft law No. 4020,
whose provisions
may deprive believers of the constitution right to alternative
(nonmilitary)
service during a special period.
Parliament
voted in favor of the legislative changes initiated by President
Poroshenko
immediately as the foundation and as a whole, without
consideration of the bill
on second reading, which is required by the law "On the
regulation of the
Supreme Soviet of Ukraine," the Institute of Religious Liberty
reports.
The
parliament supported a corrected version of the draft law, which
was proposed
by the standing committee and whose transcript was read by its
secretary, Ivan
Vinnik.
"The timing
of conducting a draft (drafts) of citizens of Ukraine for
compulsory service is
determined by order of the president of Ukraine. Such an order
is published in
news media no later than one month before the end of the year
preceding the
year of the draft (drafts) of citizens of Ukraine to compulsory
military
service, except that an order of a draft (drafts) of citizens of
Ukraine to
compulsory military service in a special period is published no
later than one
month before the start of conducting a draft (drafts) of
citizens of Ukraine to
compulsory military service," the transcription of the session
of 18
February 2016 says.
That is, in
a special period (during mobilization), the president of Ukraine
will be
granted the right to announce a draft to compulsory service no
later than one
month before its start. However the rule of part 1 of article 9
of the
Ukrainian law "On alternative (nonmilitary) service" requires of
believers who want to perform alternative service that they
submit the relevant
application no later than two calendar months before the start
of the announced
period of conducting a draft to compulsory military service.
Thus, the
president's draft law introduces preconditions by which
believers in practice
may be deprived of the possibility of exercising their
constitutional right to
alternative (nonmilitary) service, since they will not be able
to submit the
relevant application in a timely manner. . . .
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