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Convicted prisoners in Ukraine must be provided with a lawyer within 24 hours – the relevant law has come into force. From now on, the administration of places of detention has a duty to immediately allow convicts to inform their lawyers about the disciplinary punishment imposed on them. The right to free legal aid in disciplinary proceedings is also guaranteed.
On July 4, 2025, Law No. 4490-IX “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Right to Free Legal Aid” came into force.
In particular, according to its provisions, the procedure for disciplinary proceedings, as defined in Article 135 of the Criminal Executive Code of Ukraine, has been changed.
Thus, Paragraph 5 of Article 135 of the Criminal Enforcement Code of Ukraine provided that if a person serving a sentence of imprisonment does not have access to a lawyer, the administration of the penal institution is obliged to provide him with the opportunity to seek legal assistance from entities providing such assistance. This obligation is now limited in time: “without delay, but no later than 24 hours from the moment of receiving the relevant request from such a person or their close relatives.”
There is also a new provision that in such cases the disciplinary commission shall suspend disciplinary proceedings until it receives a copy of the decision to provide free secondary legal aid. The suspension of disciplinary proceedings suspends the period for imposing penalties.
In addition, according to the procedure for applying disciplinary penalties to persons deprived of liberty (Article 134 of the Criminal Enforcement Code of Ukraine), when imposing a penalty on a convicted person, the prison administration must give them the opportunity to notify their close relatives, lawyer, or other legal professionals who are entitled by law to provide legal assistance in person or on behalf of a legal entity. This obligation is also specified: first, the method of notification must be chosen by the convicted person himself; second, the administration must provide this opportunity without delay, but no later than 24 hours from the moment of imposing the penalty.
