Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a new law criminalizing antisemitism and making it punishable by up to eight years in prison.
The new law – signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day – amends Article 161 of the Criminal Code on the violation of citizens’ equality based on their race, nationality, religious beliefs, or disability.
This now features the words and “manifestations of antisemitism,” according to the draft law seen by The Jerusalem Post.
Part one of the article relates to deliberate actions aimed at inciting hatred or manifestations of antisemitism and at humiliation of honor and dignity.
Incitement to antisemitism will now be punishable by a fine of “200 to 500 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens,” restriction of liberty for up to five years, or imprisonment for up to three years. In Ukrainian law, “tax-free minimum incomes” refers to a fixed legal unit called the “non-taxable minimum income of citizens,” a standardized amount used to calculate fines typically treated as 17 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH) per unit.
The second part of the article details punishments for violence, deception, and threats. Here, someone may get a fine of 500 to 1,000 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or imprisonment for two to five years.
Any of the antisemitic actions set out in parts one and two, if committed by an organized group or causing serious consequences, is punishable by prison sentences of five to eight years.
Ukraine antisemitism law originally submitted in 2021
The draft law was submitted in 2021 following the signing of a separate law called “On Preventing and Combating Antisemitism in Ukraine.” The idea was that the two should work in harmony.
“On Preventing and Combating Antisemitism in Ukraine” outlined forms of antisemitism and established legal responsibility, but did not introduce criminal punishments. Some of the stated manifestations include the denial of the right of self-identification to persons of Jewish origin, as well as calls for, or the justification of, the murder of Jews or harm to them due to radical ideological beliefs or extremist religious views.
“This is an important and timely step,” Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman said on Tuesday. “Ukraine is sending a clear message: Hatred, discrimination, and incitement to violence have no place in Ukrainian society and never will.”
He added, “A strong state is one where the dignity of every person is respected. And today, Ukraine is confidently moving in this direction!”
The United Jewish Community of Ukraine expressed gratitude to the author of the draft laws, Maksym Buzhansky, for his “systematic work on the adoption of the legislative initiatives.”