First female prisoners join Ukrainian army ranks – Justice Ministry
Seven women who were serving time in prison signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported the Ministry of Justice.
They expressed a desire to undergo military service under a contract in exchange for parole. The women have already successfully passed the military medical commission and received the consent of the commanders of military units to serve in specific units of the Defense Forces.
"The law on the mobilization of convicted persons adopted by the Verkhovna Rada provides for the possibility of joining the army not only for men, but also for women. However, previously convicted women did not show a desire to mobilize to the army," said Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska.
A total of 6,101 convicts expressed a desire to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of them, 3,823 have already left prisons for training.
Justice Minister Denys Malyuska claimed that the law on the mobilization of prisoners in practice does not cover female prisoners, although in theory they fall under it.
Mobilization of prisoners
The Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill on the mobilization of convicts, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it on May 17. The document proposes to provide an opportunity to enlist in military service to those who have been sentenced to restrictions or deprivation of liberty for minor offenses.
Those convicted of intentional murder, rape, sexual violence, and crimes against national security will not be mobilized. Corrupt persons will also not be allowed to replace their punishment with the opportunity to fight.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense clarified that the mobilization of convicts will be influenced not only by the composition of their crime and their desire, but also by the conclusion of the military medical commission, the court's decision on parole and the willingness of the commander to accept a person for service in his unit.
David Arakhamia, the head of the Servant of the People faction, suggested that several thousand convicts will want to be released early from serving their sentence in order to join the military service under the new law.
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