The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has approved a decision to create a working group for work on a bill on the treatment of convicts abroad.

Some 289 parliamentarians supported this decision at a sitting on Friday.

The working group will be formed proportionately of parliamentarians nominated by the faction leaders. The oppositional factions proposed to include to the working group the leaders of four parliamentary factions, excluding the Communist Party faction, as well as the chairmen of four parliamentary committees on legal issues and an independent parliamentarian.

The Communist Party faction opposed this proposal.