Some journalists will be allowed into the Verkhovna Rada lobby

Round table discussion "On journalists' access to the Verkhovna Rada lobby and resuming livestreams of parliament meetings", May 1, 2024. Photo by Dmytro Didora / Espreso

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine plans to start admitting journalists into its lobby in the near future, but in small groups and in the same format as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was announced by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus, Vyacheslav Shtuchny during the round table discussion "On journalists' access to the Verkhovna Rada lobby and resuming livestreams of parliament meetings" on May 1, Espreso reports.

According to Shtuchny, the parliament's Apparatus is currently developing the procedure for admitting journalists in.

"We are going back to the practice that was in place during the Covid pandemic. 20 to 30 media representatives will be able to stay in the building during a Verkhovna Rada meeting. Journalists have already submitted applications for accreditation. We are ready to provide additional accreditation," Ukrinform quotes Shtuchny as saying.

The first meeting between the media and the VRU Apparatus executives is scheduled for after Easter. The attending journalists will receive explanations regarding the updated safety regulations in the Verkhovna Rada building.

In turn, the Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk reminded that the parliament is the only legislative body in the country that functions under martial law, so the enemy might consider it a decision-making center to target. "There are certain risks that are confirmed every month by letters from the special services," Stefanchuk said.

In view of this, said the State Security Department representative Valentyna Savitska, they will need to properly vet the journalists who are to be admitted into the parliament building. "Previously, over 4,000 journalists had the credentials to access the Verkhovna Rada," she added.

"We need to create a pool of journalists who set high reputation requirements for themselves," Stefanchuk noted.

In February 2024, human rights NGOs, media and journalists called on the Verkhovna Rada to allow journalists to attend meetings and be present in the parliament lobby.

Their demands included:

• to ensure that journalists can be present at the Verkhovna Rada meeitngs and talk to MPs in the parliament lobby;
• to post the Verkhovna Rada meeting agendas in advance;
• to promote and support the involvement of civil society organizations in the meetings of the Verkhovna Rada committees.

The IMI has written about a dilemma related to admitting journalists to the Verkhovna Rada.