An online petition calling for the revocation of Oleksii Potapenko’s – better known as Potap – title of «Honoured Artist of Ukraine» has gathered over 25,000 signatures and is awaiting consideration by the President. Support for the petition obliges the authorities to consider it, but does not automatically revoke the state honour: a separate legal decision is required for this.
Briefly about the main points
- A petition regarding Potap’s title has gathered over 25,000 signatures.
- The petition on the President’s website has the status «Pending review».
- The authors request that the artist’s activities and any possible legal grounds be investigated.
- An award may be revoked through the courts or by sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defence Council.
What is the request set out in the letter?
Petition No. 22/269494-ep was published on 28 August; its author is Kateryna Taran. According to the petition page, the tally has reached 25,351 votes.
The authors are asking the President to initiate the procedure for removal from office as provided for by law Potapenko honorary title. They propose reviewing his public statements, creative work and collaborations – in particular, material involving representatives of Russia – and, where there are lawful grounds, considering the imposition of sanctions.
What circumstances do the petitioners refer to?
The statement notes that, in the authors’ view, some of the artist’s public activities during a full-scale war are not befitting of a person holding a state honorary title.
Among the circumstances to be assessed are the use of Russian-language cultural products, statements regarding the Ukrainian language, and the creation of content involving Russian citizens. At the same time, the authors do not consider Potap’s residence abroad to be, in itself, grounds for revoking the award.
What is the procedure for revoking an award?
A petition that has reached the required threshold must be considered in accordance with the established procedure. The law stipulates that information regarding the commencement of consideration must be made public no later than three working days after the threshold is reached, and that the consideration itself may take up to ten working days.
Following legislative changes in 2024, state honours may be revoked following a court conviction for criminal offences specified by law. Another mechanism is a sanction imposed by the National Security and Defence Council in the form of the revocation of a state honour, brought into force by a presidential decree.
The authors of the appeal refer specifically to the sanctions route. The law provides for such sanctions, in particular, for promoting or propagating an aggressor state, creating a positive image of it, or justifying the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
When Potap was awarded an honorary title
Potap was awarded the title of «Honoured Artist of Ukraine» on 27 June 2020 by decree Vladimir Zelensky No. 254/2020 to mark Constitution Day.
As of 3 September, no decision has been taken on whether to retain or revoke the artist’s title. Further legal action is only possible within the framework of a separate procedure laid down by law.
