On 4 April 2017 Director of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk addressed a meeting of the Parliament of Ukraine Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Inter-ethnic Relations on the Draft Act on amending the Law of Ukraine “On Ukrainian citizenship” with respect to exercising the right to change citizenship (Draft Act) from 13 March 2017.
The Director of the UWC Mission highlighted that on 16 March 2017 UWC President Eugene Czolij issued a letter addressed to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in which he called for public hearings on this Draft Act, the adoption of which would have very negative consequences for an important part of the Ukrainian diaspora, requested the reasoning behind this Draft Act that restricts the rights of Ukrainian citizens, and expressed concern on the conformity of the Draft Act to the Constitution of Ukraine.
Upon review, members of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Inter-ethnic Relations recommended that the Parliament of Ukraine send the Draft Act to the primary Parliament of Ukraine Committee on Human Rights to prepare it for re-submission for first reading.
“We need discussion, we need to hear expert opinion. This is a very sensitive issue. At this difficult time for Ukraine we should unite, and it is not necessary to push away Ukrainians who reside outside Ukraine and do so much for Ukraine,” stated Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk.
The media release of the Parliament of Ukraine on the subject is available HERE.
