Journalists for CHESNO not admitted to meeting of parliamentary committee

The journalists of the CESNO civic movement were not allowed to attend the meeting of the Committee on Regulation, parliamentary ethics and workflow management of the Verkhovna Rada, which was scheduled at 11:00 on September 4, as to CHESNO website. The Committee members said there were no decisions to deny access to the media. The press service of the parliament’s apparatus referred to the committee's secretariat's orders, but the secretariat does not answer the calls. The guards of the building on Bankova Street, 6-8, where the Regulatory committee is located, were unaware of today's meeting because, according to them, there was no announcement on the parliament’s website. Indeed, on the homepage of the Parliament's website, there was no information on that meeting. Instead, the agenda of the committee was published on the committee's website. Finally, the guards told CESNO officials that, as they had been told in the press service of the Verkhovna Rada apparatus, the meeting of the Regulatory Committee was organizational and the press was not allowed. When asked whose decision it was, the guards replied that the committee had allegedly decided so. After that, the journalists for CHESNO called the press service of the Verkhovna Rada's office. The head of the department, Iryna Karmelyuk, told that the secretariat of the Regulatory Committee had decided not to admit the press to the sitting: “This was a ruling of the secretariat of the Committee, I am only fulfilling that assiagnment.  They hold an organizational meeting without the press. " Karmelyuk advised to contact the secretary of the Committee on the rules of procedure of Mariya Nekhotsa. However, the latter was unavailable by the phone. According to CESNO, the Law on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada states that the press has the right to attend committee meetings. In Part 1 of Art. 9 of the Law "On Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine" states that the committees inform the public about their activities, in particular by making public the work plan and the schedule of meetings. This section also says: “The journalists, media workers, representatives of public organizations have right to attend the meetings and other committee meetings that are held openly. There is no additional accreditation for journalists, media workers accredited by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to attend committee meetings. ” As reported by IMI, on August 29, some of the media representatives were denied to attend the solemn sitting of the Verkhovna Rada and to the press box.