“Deputies propose punishment from two to five years of imprisonment”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
In particular, the deputies reduced the level of criminal liability provided for by the draft law for unauthorized disclosure of data registers: instead of the previously proposed five to eight years of imprisonment, the deputies now propose two to five years of punishment.
“According to the decision of the conciliation council of deputy groups and factions, the Law Enforcement Committee this morning reviewed draft law No. 10242 in terms of reducing sanctions… What now, what yesterday is a criminal offense. But the sanction of the fourth part of the article was equated with the third, that is, during the period of martial law – from 2 to 5 years,” Osadchuk said.
The decision was also supported by the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, the deputy said.
On the eve of the Ukrainian Media movement, media and human rights organizations called on the Verkhovna Rada not to support draft law No. 10242 in its current version, because, according to the authors of the appeal, it “poses significant threats to freedom of speech, the work of journalists, the protection of journalistic sources and whistleblowers of corruption in Ukraine.”
The statement says that “under the guise of fighting ‘data abuse’, a tool is being created that can be used to prosecute journalists who cover corruption schemes or abuse of power.”
Draft Law No. 10242 provides for “amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the establishment of criminal liability for unauthorized interference, sale or distribution of information processed in public electronic registers and strengthening criminal liability during martial law for criminal offenses in the use of information and communication systems” . The document was registered in the parliament on November 9, 2023 and is currently being prepared for a repeated second reading.