Civilians in Captivity informs that with their assistance an important
draft law was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The draft
law provides for amendments to certain laws of Ukraine that will
provide civilians who have returned from Russian captivity with the
opportunity to voluntarily join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Previously, this right was granted only to military personnel who had
been released from captivity. The new amendments propose to give
civilian prisoners the freedom of choice to decide whether to join the
Ukrainian Armed Forces upon their return home.
This step is an important result of the organization’s joint work with
the authorities, which began in April 2024. In June and July, the NGO
and families of civic prisoners sent more than 100 letters to MPs
and representatives of local councils, emphasizing the need for such
changes. Despite the fact that most of the requests remained
unanswered, some appeals were heard.
The CTRC fully supports this initiative. We believe that changes to
the laws should be made as soon as possible. We sincerely believe that
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will help resolve this important issue!