Sentencing for treason under martial law

Abstract

The article examines the issue of punishment for treason under martial law. It was found that in view of the full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, the criminal legislation was supplemented by Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for responsibility for treason committed under martial law, and establishes a more severe punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 15 years or life imprisonment, with mandatory confiscation of property. 50 guilty verdicts passed by courts of first instance in criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The results of such a study made it possible to determine some trends in the imposition of punishment for such a crime. It has been established that treason under martial law is committed under similar legal circumstances, which can be generalized and classified. During the research, it was established that in the absolute majority of cases for the commission of treason, regardless of the circumstances of the crime, mitigating and aggravating circumstances, data about the accused person, the courts impose a minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment with full or partial confiscation of property. At the same time, the maximum punishment in the form of life imprisonment is imposed in isolated cases, which, however, raises doubts about the expediency and justification of its appointment. It is established that the courts when choosing the amount of punishment, as required by Art. 65 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, take into account data on the identity of the culprit and circumstances mitigating and aggravating the punishment. There were also cases of a milder punishment than provided for by the sanction of Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the basis of Art. 69 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is assumed that such cases of application of Art. 69 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine are not always justified and sometimes excessively reduce the punishment in comparison with the size of the punishment provided for in Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The situation with the appointment of a minimum punishment within the scope of the sanction and the application of Art. 69 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is explained by the imperfection of the sanction, which is difficult from the point of view of law enforcement. Based on the results of the analysis, the assumption was made that the sanction under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, as well as suggested ways to solve this problem. Key words: treason, national security of Ukraine, martial law, punishment, sentencing, life imprisonment, an absolutely defined sanction, transfer to the side of the enemy, subversion, aggressor state, differentiation of criminal responsibility, individualization of punishment, confiscation of property.