what personal circumstances can mitigate the punishment for sexual assault – explanation of the lawyer
30 September 08:47
Personal circumstances that may mitigate the punishment for unauthorized abandonment of a military unit include valid reasons. They are defined by the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Lawyer Vitaliy Baranovsky said this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Serious health conditions, serious family circumstances, emergencies such as loss of contact with the unit during combat, inability to return due to transportation restrictions or encirclement – all of these can reduce the penalty for AWOL,” he said.
This applies to cases where the absence from service was temporary, the lawyer continued.
“I would like to emphasize that AWOL is not always about betrayal or fear. It is also about fatigue, exhaustion or difficult family circumstances,” Baranovsky added.
