Ukraine

 CountryType of Law 
 
 

Criminal Defamation

No provisions.

Criminal Defamation of Public Officials

No provisions.

Criminal Defamation of the Head of State

No provisions.

Criminal Defamation of the State and its Symbols

Desecration of state symbols (Art. 338 Criminal Code): Publicly desecrating the flag, emblem or national anthem of Ukraine. The act is punishable with imprisonment from six months to three years or a fine of up to fifty times the minimum income.

There is presently no clear indication that this article could also be used against verbal or written insult of symbols.

Criminal Defamation of Foreign Heads of State

No provisions.

Criminal Defamation of Foreign States and Symbols

Desecration of symbols of foreign states (Art. 338 Criminal Code): Publicly desecrating the officially displayed flag or emblem of a foreign state. The act is punishable with imprisonment from six months to two years or a fine of up to fifty times the minimum income.

There is presently no clear indication that this article could also be used against verbal or written insult of symbols.

Criminal Defamation of the Deceased

No provisions.

Criminal Blasphemy

No provisions.

Criminal Statistics

N/A

Criminal Defamation and Media

N/A

Recent Legal Changes

N/A

Notes and Acknowledgements

Information for Ukraine was originally collected by IPI as part of a study commissioned by the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). It is reprinted here with the permission of the OSCE.

A fully footnoted version of this entry is available in the OSCE study. This entry was last updated in March 2017.

The information contained in this database is for informational and advocacy purposes only. If you are a journalist facing a defamation claim, you should seek legal advice from a qualified attorney. However, if you are unable to find such an attorney, IPI may be able to assist you in doing so. Please contact us at info(at)ipi.media.

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