Ukraine government introduces bill to combat anti-LGBT discrimination, hate speech

The draft law, No. 13597 “On Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Ukraine to Combat Manifestations of Discrimination,” is part of Ukraine’s commitments under the Association Agreement with the European Union, RBC-Ukraine reports.

The bill’s lead author, Olena Shuliak, head of the Committee on State Power, Local Governance, Regional Development and Urban Planning, and leader of the governing Servant of the People party, announced the initiative.

The bill was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It introduces criminal liability for acts of discrimination and expands the list of groups entitled to protection under the law.

As Shuliak explained, Ukraine’s current laws often treat hate-motivated crimes as administrative offenses or classify them as simple “hooliganism,” which allows perpetrators to avoid criminal responsibility, even in cases of violence against activists.

Bill No. 13597 is intended to close that loophole.

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“This bill is crucial for strengthening human rights protections and holding perpetrators of discrimination accountable. It’s also part of Ukraine’s obligations under the EU Association Agreement,” Shuliak said.

Among the key provisions of the bill:

• Broader protections for vulnerable groups. The bill explicitly proposes that sexual orientation, gender identity, health status, national origin, language, place of residence, citizenship, family status, and property status be protected categories.
• Updated legal definitions. The term “intolerance” will be aligned with definitions already found in Ukraine’s anti-discrimination legislation.
• Administrative penalties. The bill introduces fines or corrective labor for discriminatory actions, even if they do not involve violence. Harsher penalties are proposed for officials, entrepreneurs, or repeated offenders.
• Expanded powers for the Human Rights Ombudsman. The bill allows the Ombudsman and their representatives to draft official reports on discrimination-related administrative offenses, which would then be heard in court.
• Criminal liability for public incitement to violence based on intolerance. Article 161 of the Criminal Code will be clarified to include cases where public officials commit hate crimes or involve deceit or threats.
• Ban on promoting intolerance through media and cultural products. Article 300 of the Criminal Code will be amended to ban the distribution of content that promotes bigotry, including print, video, film, and audio formats.
• Eliminating private prosecution in discrimination cases. Cases involving discrimination, even without aggravating circumstances, would no longer require the victim to press charges privately.
• Introducing disciplinary measures for discriminatory conduct.

“Bill No. 13597 is not only about punishing intolerance,” Shuliak said. “It’s about building a consistent, state-level policy to combat discrimination. Its adoption will be a step toward a fairer, safer society — one where every person’s rights are protected by law, no matter their identity or beliefs. It will also help Ukraine meet its obligations to the EU and bring our legislation closer in line with international human rights standards.”

To strengthen intergovernmental cooperation, Ukraine recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on gender policy with the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers’ Department for Equal Opportunity at the Rome Recovery Conference.