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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law criminalizing antisemitic behavior, statements, and incitement, introducing penalties of up to eight years in prison as part of an effort to strengthen enforcement against antisemitism.
Antisemitic actions carried out by a group may carry a sentence of up to 8 years.
By Shula Rosen
The legislation, signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, builds on earlier measures, including a 2021 law that defined antisemitism and outlined consequences for violations, by incorporating specific criminal penalties into Ukraine’s legal framework.
Under the new provisions, deliberate actions aimed at inciting hatred or expressions of antisemitism, as well as acts intended to humiliate honor and dignity, are now subject to punishment.
Incitement to antisemitism may carry a fine of “200 to 500 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens,” restriction of liberty for up to five years, or imprisonment for up to three years.
Ukrainian law defines “tax-free minimum incomes” as a fixed legal unit known as the “non-taxable minimum income of citizens,” typically treated as 17 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH) per unit for the purpose of calculating fines.
Additional penalties apply to offenses involving violence, deception, or threats.
In such cases, individuals may face fines of 500 to 1,000 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or imprisonment ranging from two to five years.
The law further stipulates that antisemitic actions described in these provisions, if carried out by an organized group or resulting in serious consequences, are punishable by prison terms of five to eight years.
Ukraine’s Jewish population today is estimated at approximately 0.2% of the country’s 41 million residents.
Before World War II, Ukraine’s Jewish population numbered about 1.5 million, most of whom were killed during the Nazi Holocaust.
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