58 MPs oppose criminal liability for pro-family actions

A large-scale procession in defence of traditional family values in Kyiv, 2019. Photo: rubryka.com

On 27 April 2020, 58 MPs from several factions sent a collective parliamentary appeal to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee for Law Enforcement Denis Monastyrsky criticizing draft law No. 3316 "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (on combating hate crimes on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity), reports the "Institute of Religious Freedom".

Draft Law No. 3316 proposes the introduction of criminal liability for "degrading dignity of persons or groups of persons based on sexual orientation or gender identity".

People's deputies believe that such novelties may become the basis for criminal prosecution of participants in peaceful protests against the propaganda of gender ideology and in defence of family values and natural sexual relations.

Parliamentarians also asked Monastyrsky to take into account the arguments of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which earlier had also opposed the bill.

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