“Punishment for criticism”: Stefanchuk’s bill will be checked after journalists’ comments
24 September 2025 12:04
Draft law No. 14057, registered in the Verkhovna Rada on September 21, will now undergo additional scrutiny due to potential risks to freedom of speech. The reason for this was the comments of journalists and human rights activists about possible “punishment for criticism.” Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, co-author of the document and chairman of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech, said this on Facebook, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Criticism of journalists
on September 23, Bihus.info published an investigation, noting that certain provisions of the draft law may restrict journalistic investigations and freedom of expression. In particular, we are talking about
- automatic recognition of information as unreliable without a court decision;
- the possibility of punishment for a subjective opinion;
- expanded powers for “pre-censorship” of content, including online media and social networks.
According to the Institute of Mass Information, such norms could lead to excessive pressure on journalists, increased self-censorship, and abuse of legal proceedings.
Reaction of lawmakers
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, co-author of the document and chairman of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech, recognized the possible risks to freedom of speech and plans to make changes:
“After consulting with media lawyers, I came to the conclusion that certain provisions of the draft law can indeed be read in different ways. I withdrew my signature and immediately started consultations to find compromise wording.”
Yurchyshyn emphasized that the draft law revises the approach to the Civil Code in terms of strengthening human rights. He added:
“There is nothing in the document that applies exclusively to journalists. Only very professional media lawyers can see the risks for them, and then only in a few articles.”
Yurchyshyn also said that Ruslan Stefanchuk agreed to meet with the project’s critics to find compromise solutions:
“The goal is really to introduce European and civilized norms, not to introduce ‘punishment for criticism’.”
Steps to correct mistakes
Yurchyshyn outlined specific actions to eliminate the risks:
- A meeting of media lawyers and drafters of the bill to find compromise solutions;
- Verification of the wording by international experts to ensure compliance with European standards;
- Amend the draft law to ensure that the codes are updated without risky provisions for freedom of speech.
“I admit my mistake in not ensuring that the draft was reviewed by media lawyers and signing it without this verification. I am currently doing everything to remedy this situation,” Yurchyshyn said.
The importance of transparency and trust
Yurchyshyn emphasized the need for a public presentation of major bills before they are submitted for registration and an active dialog between initiators and critics:
“This reduces the number of misinterpretations and builds a system of trust between different social actors. We have enough enemies to fight each other, so it is important to maintain a standard of mutual respect.”
According to him, the purpose of the draft law is to strengthen the institution of human rights protection, not to restrict freedom of speech.
