The law was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on May 18, 2017.
The "Savchenko Law" on pretrial detention terms was adopted on November 26, 2015, and became effective on December 24, 2015. The law was drawn up by Nadiia Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot who was kidnapped by pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, convicted in Russia and extradited to Ukraine as a swap of prisoners of war.
The amendments are aimed at safeguarding civil rights and freedoms, as well as property, public order, and public safety against criminal offences.
The new law changes Part 5 of Article 72 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the rules of calculating imprisonment terms and taking into account the pretrial detention terms, suggesting that one day of pretrial detention should be counted as one day of imprisonment if the verdict is guilty, or the rules stipulated in Part 1 of the said article should be applicable.
Read alsoRada repeals so-called "Savchenko Law"According to the law, when appointing punishments not listed in Part 1 of Article 72, the court, considering the preliminary detention, can mitigate the punishment or completely release a convict from serving his or her sentence.
The law shall come into force from the day following the day of its publication.
The author of the law, MP Nadiia Savchenko, claims that the decision to repeal the law contradicts the Constitution.
