Stefanchuk on amending Civil Code: This bill is about expanding personal rights of every individual

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk commented on public reservations about the alleged restriction of freedom of speech expressed by some media outlets after the registration of bill No. 14057 on amendments to the Civil Code.

"This bill is not about the media. It is about expanding the personal rights of every individual. That is how it should be perceived," Stefanchuk said on Facebook.

The Speaker of the Parliament, who is a co-author of the bill, denied a number of statements that were spread in the media and social networks after the document was registered in the Verkhovna Rada. According to Stefanchuk, the bill does not introduce any new obligations for the media, and the claims about the alleged "responsibility of journalists without fault" are unfounded.

"Refutation is not a liability, but a method of protection that does not entail legal sanctions. The current wording of Article 277 of the Code of Civil Procedure already provides that 'refutation of false information is carried out regardless of the fault of the person who disseminated it," Stefanchuk said.

He noted that the right to refutation as a method of protection corresponds to the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, and the wording of the draft law provides that "the features of refutation of false information are established by law." In particular, such features are established by Article 43 of the Law On media, which, among other things, provides for cases when a media entity has the right to refuse to disseminate a refutation or response.

Stefanchuk said the bill does not limit journalistic investigations and clearly complies with the Constitution of Ukraine.

He also called the media statement that "courts will be able to prohibit the dissemination of information before its publication, block websites and seize copies untrue."

"You will be surprised, but the relevant article has existed in the Code of Civil Procedure for 23 years. The proposed changes only clarify modern channels for disseminating information (websites, social media pages, messenger channels, video hosting, other web resources). At the same time, the list of such methods of disseminating information in the current version of the CCU is not exhaustive," the Verkhovna Rada chairman said.

The chairman also said the right of reply is not a new feature of the bill and does not oblige to publish alternative versions, but guarantees the opportunity to express one's own point of view, and the right to reconciliation is not a form of pressure, but involves a voluntary initiative of the party that disseminated inaccurate information.

"The right to be forgotten: corresponds to Ukraine's European integration obligations and provides for a balance with the public interest," Stefanchuk said.

He also recalled that the norm on compensation for moral damage for value judgments is already in effect and the bill does not change its essence.

Stefanchuk proposed holding an open meeting with journalists and representatives of civil society in early October to discuss the provisions of the bill and find balanced solutions.

"The main goal of the bill is to create a modern system of protecting human and citizen rights, the establishment and provision of which is the main duty of the state," the Verkhovna Rada chairman said.

As reported, bill No. 14057 on amendments to Book Two of the Civil Code in connection with the update (recodification) was registered in the parliament on September 21.