The Verkhovna Rada did not vote for draft law No. 10242, which provided for 8 years of imprisonment for the distribution of closed data from the registers.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported this.
According to media professionals and journalists, this draft law in this version threatens freedom of speech, journalists and corruption whistleblowers.
In total, 231 deputies voted for the draft law — this number of votes is not enough to pass the draft law. Therefore, it was sent for a second vote, where 229 MPs voted for it, which is also not enough.
The document strengthens and introduces criminal liability (8 years of imprisonment) for freely disclosing confidential information from public registers during martial law. There are no protection mechanisms for those who disclose confidential information of public importance.
The reaction of the media community
Mediarukh, media and human rights non-governmental organizations of Ukraine, as well as the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn urged the MPs not to vote for draft law No. 10242.
Media experts, human rights defenders and the head of the Committee believe that the draft law can be used as a tool to persecute journalists. In particular, he proposes to introduce the possibility of eavesdropping and surveillance of journalists.
"Examples of investigations, the authors of which can be prosecuted under the provisions of this draft law, are materials about schemes for men to go abroad during martial law or about the enrichment of representatives of the prosecutorʼs office," the statement added.
The draft law was submitted to fulfill the requirements of the EU, however, according to the applicants, it contradicts the principles of freedom of speech, protection of journalistic sources and whistleblowers, enshrined in international documents, in particular in the European Act on Freedom of the Media.
"According to him, if a journalist-whistleblower or his source in the law enforcement agencies penetrates the base of the owner of a new expensive car, then the journalist or the source, and not the corrupt person, will receive eight years. A journalist will receive eight years if he shows that the official crossed the border in an inexplicable way. There are fantastically cool investigative journalists in Ukraine, whose work will simply be killed by this draconian draft law. And they will give a great gift to lovers of corruption," Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is convinced.
What alternatives are offered
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, as the head of the Committee on Freedom of Speech, proposes to conduct additional consultations with international partners and media persons on how to protect personal data without infringing on the rights of journalists. And after that, develop a new draft law with a reference to the protection of the rights of whistleblowers.
According to Yurchyshyn, the position of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) is important.
Draft law No. 10242 also contained provisions on confiscation of assets — a separate draft law No. 12269 was registered in the Council in this regard, which, according to Yurchyshyn, completely solves this problem.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.