You're reading: Oliynyk-Kolesnichenko law comes into force from Jan. 22

The law introducing amendments to the law of Ukraine on the judicial system and the status of judges and procedural laws regarding additional measures to protect the safety of citizens was published in the electronic version of the parliament's Holos Ukrainy newspaper in the issue for Tuesday, Jan. 21. 

The document comes into force on Jan. 22, except for subparagraph 5, paragraph 18, section I of the law (introducing the provision on the sale of SIM cards on passports), which takes effect on May 1, 2014.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law drafted by Party of Regions MPs Volodymyr Oliynyk and Vadym Kolesnichenko on Jan. 16, and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych signed the document on Jan 17.

The law, in particular, makes libel and extremist activity a crime.

The authors of the law believe that such a phenomenon as extremism became widespread in Ukraine, i.e. the activities aimed at the violent overthrow or change of the constitutional system, the incitement of social, racial, national, ethnic, linguistic or religious enmity and hatred, as well as mass disturbances, acts of hooliganism and vandalism.