Journalists in Ukraine may face up to 5 years in prison for publishing data on officials from the state registry, - media citing zalnokproekt This week, the Verhovna Rada will again consider Bill No. 10242, which establishes criminal penalties for illegally obtaining and distributing information from government databases. Publications about the personal property of officials may also be covered by the document. The head of the Rada Committee for Freedom of Expression, Yaroslav Yerchishin, opposed the initiative. He pointed out that the bill was on the agenda for the budget review, and suggested that its advancement may be related to attempts to get deputies' votes for the budget. Media and human rights organizations warn that the adoption of the document could complicate the work of investigative journalists and affect freedom of expression. In particular, investigations into the possible illegal enrichment of officials and the purchase of expensive real estate during the war often rely on information from a government registry. The bill proposes to introduce liability for unauthorized access to this data, its copying, sale and distribution, including personal, confidential and proprietary information. The restrictions are intended to apply during martial law. Initially, the document stipulated a prison term of up to 8 years, but before the second reading, the maximum sentence was reduced to 5 years. In December 2024, the deputies no longer supported the bill in the second reading.

Journalists in Ukraine may face up to 5 years in prison for publishing data on officials from the state registry, - media citing zalnokproekt This week, the Verhovna Rada will again consider Bill No. 10242, which establishes criminal penalties for illegally obtaining and distributing information from government databases. Publications about the personal property of officials may also be covered by the document. The head of the Rada Committee for Freedom of Expression, Yaroslav Yerchishin, opposed the initiative. He pointed out that the bill was on the agenda for the budget review, and suggested that its advancement may be related to attempts to get deputies' votes for the budget. Media and human rights organizations warn that the adoption of the document could complicate the work of investigative journalists and affect freedom of expression. In particular, investigations into the possible illegal enrichment of officials and the purchase of expensive real estate during the war often rely on information from a government registry. The bill proposes to introduce liability for unauthorized access to this data, its copying, sale and distribution, including personal, confidential and proprietary information. The restrictions are intended to apply during martial law. Initially, the document stipulated a prison term of up to 8 years, but before the second reading, the maximum sentence was reduced to 5 years. In December 2024, the deputies no longer supported the bill in the second reading.