To return access to journalists to a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada – in the press box or on the sidelines – it is necessary that security requirements be met and an appropriate resolution be adopted. This was stated by First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Alexander Kornienko on Monday, January 13, during the presentation of the HONEST Movement results of the study “Rada-9. Results.”
When there are safety conditions, all restrictions will be lifted. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada will gradually make these decisions.
He also added that to restore journalists’ access to the press box, they may need to be equipped with protective glass.
At the very least, in conditions of martial law and in the post-war period, it is necessary to take some protective steps: install bulletproof glass or some other kind. After all, no one is immune from the conditional fall of a heavy object on the head of a people’s representative with the corresponding consequences, he said.
The First Deputy Speaker recalled that the partial restoration of journalists’ access to the Rada in 2024 was adopted by people’s deputies as part of a resolution on the specifics of covering the activities of the Verkhovna Rada under martial law.
Kornienko also added that broadcasts on social networks conducted by individual people’s deputies in order to inform about the progress of meetings take place in violation of parliamentary resolutions.
If we talk about European parliamentary practice, there are few journalists present in the hall. This is a Ukrainian tradition that has developed and therefore, like any tradition, it cannot be changed, it is already established,” added the first vice-speaker.
He also told us what the situation is with expanding the openness of meetings of Council committees: “My colleagues from the Freedom of Speech Committee and I are working to ensure that the bill on openness of committees [№ 11321] got on the agenda. It will allow us to formalize what half of the committees already do: recording the meeting and saving it, as well as unlimited time and access to the recording. Then it will be possible to track how a particular committee made a decision.
In addition, Kornienko is convinced that some of the Verkhovna Rada committees do not always listen to the public’s demands for openness.
Although Zoom, it seems to me, just makes it possible to implement this 100%. At a time when it is now not always possible to get into the government quarter due to security reservations, everyone can connect via Zoom and there are no restrictions there,” Kornienko said.
He also emphasized that Ukraine is facing an unprecedented experience when the parliament is forced to adapt to working under martial law.
It seems to me that these three years should have prepared us for the fact that there may be different situations and the state as a state still needs to work on this formalization of various security protocols,” Kornienko noted.
Let us recall that in 2024, journalists were partially allowed access to the Verkhovna Rada for the first time after the start of the full-scale invasion. Accredited media can work exclusively in the Council’s press center, but do not have access to the Council’s lobbies or the press box.
Source: Racurs
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