Parliament passes bill on legal status of prisoners of war

As MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak (the Holos party faction) posted on Telegram, the bill was supported by 352 MPs.

"The purpose of adopting the draft Law of Ukraine No. 7173 ‘On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Regulation of Issues Related to Prisoners of War" is to regulate certain legal aspects of the implementation of measures for the treatment of prisoners of war," reads the explanatory note to the document.

Prisoners of war are defined in the draft laws as persons entitled to this status under Article 4 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 12 August 1949 and Article 44 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflict (Protocol I), 8 June 1977.

According to these articles of the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are those who, at any time and under any circumstances, find themselves, in the event of conflict or occupation, under the authority of a party to the conflict or of the occupying Power of which they are not nationals. It is also determined that any combatant who falls under the control of the opposing side is a prisoner of war.

The law also supplements the laws “On Defense of Ukraine”, “On the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, “On the Military Law Enforcement Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine” with provisions specifying the legal status of prisoners of war, differentiating between the activities of central and other executive bodies, enterprises, institutions and organizations in the field of defense regarding the organization of the treatment of prisoners of war.

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