Journalists sound the alarm: new law threatens freedom of speech in Ukraine
24 September 07:30
on September 21, a group of MPs registered in the Verkhovna Rada draft law No. 14057, which provides for amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine. The Bihus.Info investigative journalism project reported that this bill increases legal liability for critical publications and may jeopardize the very existence of investigative journalism, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The initiators were Ruslan Stefanchuk, Oleksandr Kornienko, Olena Kondratyuk, Mykola Stefanchuk and Yuriy Kamelchuk.
What caused the most concern
The draft law proposes to automatically recognize as unreliable information that is not confirmed by a court verdict. This may neutralize investigations, which often become the basis for pre-trial checks.
It is allowed to demand compensation for criticism if the publication seemed “too harsh” to the defendant.
“It is even proposed to allow claiming compensation for criticism if the person involved did not like the tone of the publication,” Bihus.Info says.
In particular, in the section on the “right to be forgotten,” MPs propose to remove any information if it is irrelevant or has lost public interest. At the same time, journalists note that the definitions of these two categories are not spelled out in the draft.
“The adoption of these changes could lead to the removal of any information, including absolutely reliable information, if someone decides that Komarnytskyi (who has no official position) or Braginskyi (who has already been fired) are “irrelevant,” Bihus.Info reports.
The editors of the project believe that draft law No. 14057 could block the work of many journalists in Ukraine, as any critical publication could be a reason for a lawsuit, and urge MPs not to vote for this bill.
“Any critical article can become a pretext for a lawsuit. This actually blocks the work of investigative journalists,” Bihus.Info said.
Position of the Institute of Mass Information
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) also opposed the draft law No. 14057. Experts emphasize that it paves the way for preliminary censorship – the prohibition of publications before they are released, which contradicts Article 10 of the Convention on Human Rights.
In addition, the document provides for the possibility of blocking access to publications on the Internet and excessive expansion of the right of reply in the media. According to IMI director Oksana Romaniuk, this could turn journalism into a “microphone stand” where any person mentioned can demand their own airtime.
IMI lawyer Volodymyr Zelenchuk notes that the draft law actually strengthens the position of officials and top officials who abuse lawsuits to avoid responsibility for corruption.
What the Parliament says
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, insists that draft laws #14056 and #14057 “are aimed at modernizing the provisions of the Civil Code and bringing them in line with European standards.”
However, the journalistic community emphasizes that in its current form, the document may become an instrument of censorship and self-censorship, jeopardizing one of the key rights in a democratic society – freedom of speech.
