Ukraine’s media organisations and human rights groups, as well as the Media Movement, have issued a Journalist Day address calling on the Verkhovna Rada and its Chair Ruslan Stefanchuk to oppose the adoption of the new Civil Code of Ukraine in the version that creates systemic threats to freedom of speech, investigative journalism, open access to public information, and the right of citizens to know the truth.

The Institute of Mass Information is a signatory to the address.

The address reminds that on 28 April 2026, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft bill No. 15150, the draft of the new Civil Code, in the first reading. It acknowledges the importance of updating civil legislation, but stresses that private law can not be recodified at the cost of restricting fundamental freedoms, especially amidst a full-scale war, when independent journalism contributes to the state’ democratic stability.

The address states that Ukrainian journalists face unprecedented risks, working during air strikes, in regions close to the front line, under the pressure of various attacks, threats, and physical danger. They document Russia’s war crimes, expose corruption, scrutinise the government, businesses, and public figures.

The organisations say that multiple provisions in the draft Civil Code may create a dangerous “chilling effect”. Media outlets, journalists, investigators, OSINT analysts, public activists, and whistleblowers may start avoiding socially important topics not because they doubt their evidence but due to the risk of legal retaliation.

“The purpose of journalism is not to serve the reputation needs of officials, politicians, businesses, or those featured in investigations, but to provide society with verified, important, and often inconvenient information. A democratic state should not create a legal arsenal for powerful and influential actors to use against those who ask them uncomfortable questions,” the address reads.

The organisations called on the Verkhovna Rada and Ruslan Stefanchuk to ensure a full, open, and inclusive finalisation of the draft Civil Code” involving media organisations, human rights activists, investigative journalists, experts on access to information, digital rights, and anti-corruption policy.

“Ukraine can not fight for democracy on the battlefield while undermining it in legislation. We call on MPs to prevent the adoption of laws that could silence journalism just at the time when the country needs it most,” the address says.

The Institute of Mass Information shares the address in full:

Address 

by media organisations regarding the press freedom risks in the new draft Civil Code of Ukraine

On the occasion of Journalist’s Day, we, Ukrainian media organisations and human rights groups, along with the Media Movement, are addressing the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada Chair Ruslan Stefanchuk, MPs, and Ukrainian society, with an appeal to oppose the adoption of the new Civil Code of Ukraine in the version that creates systemic threats to freedom of speech, investigative journalism, open access to public information, and the right of citizens to know the truth.

On 28 April 2026, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft bill No. 15150, the draft of the new Civil Code, in the first reading. We acknowledge the importance of updating civil legislation.

However, private law can not be recodified at the cost of restricting fundamental freedoms, especially amidst a full-scale war, when independent journalism contributes to the state’ democratic stability.

Today Ukrainian journalists face unprecedented risks, working during air strikes, in regions close to the front line, under the pressure of various attacks, threats, and physical danger. They document Russia’s war crimes, expose corruption, scrutinise the government, businesses, and public figures, and help society to know truth from misinformation. That is why the state should not shrink the space for journalism, but guarantee its effective protection.

Instead, multiple provisions in the draft Civil Code may create a dangerous “chilling effect”. Media outlets, journalists, investigators, OSINT analysts, public activists, and whistleblowers may start avoiding socially important topics not because they doubt their evidence but due to the risk of legal retaliation.

Especially alarming are the clauses that may:

  • chill investigative journalism due to the excessively broad “right to respond” even if the reported information is accurate;
  • create risks of retaliatory lawsuits for reporting on persons suspected of corruption or other crimes due to the vaguely defined clause on the presumption of innocence;
  • undermine the protection of whistleblowers who report potential corrupt acts in good faith;
  • allow public figures to demand archive material be deleted, citing the vaguely defined “right to obscurity”;
  • grant legal entities excessive “digital privacy” rights, which may complicate the use of open data, OSINT tools, and the vetting of businesses associated with corruption risks or affiliated with sanctioned or Russian actors;
  • curtail the release of socially important correspondence between legal entities even if it points to abuses;
  • put covert filming and recording as part of investigative journalism at risk;
  • allow preventive court bans on journalistic content before it is published.

We stress that what is at stake here is society’s right to know who abuses power, who is profiteering from the war, who collaborates with the aggressor state, who hides conflicts of interest, who uses budget money non-transparently, who tries to erase inconvenient facts from their public biography.

The purpose of journalism is not to serve the reputation needs of officials, politicians, businesses, or those featured in investigations, but to provide society with verified, important, and often inconvenient information. A democratic state should not create a legal arsenal for powerful and influential actors to use against those who ask them uncomfortable questions.

We call on the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada Chair Ruslan Stefanchuk to ensure a full, open, and inclusive finalisation of the draft Civil Code, involving media organisations, human rights activists, investigative journalists, experts on access to information, digital rights, and anti-corruption policy.

On Journalist Day, we remind you that freedom of speech is not a favour done to the media. It is the right of citizens to oversee power, a safeguard against corruption, authoritarianism, and impunity. This is a key factor that makes Ukraine different from Russia.

Ukraine can not fight for democracy on the battlefield while undermining it in legislation.

We call on MPs to prevent the adoption of laws that could silence journalism just at the time when the country needs it most.

Signed:

Media Movement

NGO Institute of Mass Information

NGO ProMedia

Lviv Media Forum

NGO Detector Media

Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracy

NGO Ukraïner

Texty.org.ua

NGO Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM)

ZMINA Centre for Human Rights

Media hygiene initiative How Not to Turn Brain-Dead

NGO Public Investigations Centre

Tsyfrolaba

NGO DII Ukraine

Previously

The Verkhovna Rada passed the draft of the new Civil Code of Ukraine in the first reading on 28 April 2026.

Over 80 human rights groups including the Institute of Mass Information addressed the Verkhovna Rada Chair Ruslan Stefanchuk with a call to revise the draft Civil Code. The EU is analysing the draft bill.

In the autumn of 2025, media lawyers worked with MPs to prepare amendments to the draft Civil Code. IMI lawyer Volodymyr Zelenchuk says that while they managed to get many amendments approved, some of the lawyers’ proposals did not make it into the draft bill No. 15150. For instance, the clause granting persons mentioned in reporting a right to submit a response on any mention of them if they believe their personal rights have been violated, has remained.

The petition calling President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to intervene in the approval of the new Civil Code of Ukraine (draft bill No. 15150) passed the threshold of 25 thousand signatures within a day of being posted on the President’s website (12 May 2026).