Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, has withdrawn his signature on Bill No. 14057 “On Amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine With Regards to the Updates (Recodification) of the Placement of Book Two”. He is initiating a meeting between media lawyers and the drafters of the bill, the MP reported in a Facebook post.
Yurchyshyn said made this decision after Bihus.Info reported on the bill’s provisions that may pose risks to freedom of speech.
Yurchyshyn explained that the draft bill, which he co-authored, provides for a systematic overhaul of civil legislation and a human rights boost. The bill was initiated by the Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk.
However, Yurchyshyn admitted that some articles in the 128-page table of amendments are formulated in such a way that they “may be read in various ways” and may create grounds for interpretation as penalties for criticism.
The MP stressed that the draft bill contained no provisions targeting journalists exclusively and that the risks were only noticed by professional media lawyers.
“I personally made a mistake by not involving media lawyers to ensure the expertise of the draft bill at this stage and by signing it without this check. I admit it and I am trying to do everything to correct the mistake,” Yurchyshyn said.
He explained that there was little time to process the long document that he had immediately notified Ruslan Stefanchuk after the critical remarks were voiced publicly. The Verkhovna Rada Speaker agreed to meet with the bill’s critics. “This is a strong position of openness, which was also supported by media lawyers. Because the true goal is to implement European norms and not to introduce ‘penalties for criticism,’” the MP noted.
Yurchyshyn listed the following steps such as:
- holding a meeting between media lawyers and the bill’s authors to arrive to compromise formulations;
- submitting the resulting solutions for verification to international experts to check their compliance with European standards;
- making agreed amendments to the draft bill so that the updated Civil Code does not contain risky provisions.
Yurchyshyn called for publicity when working on major legislative amendments. “Draft bills should be presented publicly before they are registered [in the parliament]. This reduces the different readings and mistrust. It is advisable to do this before, not after registration,” he explained.
Yurchyshyn also emphasized the need to maintain mutual respect and not escalate the discussion.
“We have enough enemies to be fighting among ourselves. I am grateful to the parties for their readiness for dialogue and ask them not to escalate the situation before the meeting,” he wrote.
According to him, the bill’s main goal is to strengthen the institution of human rights protection. The deputy stressed that this requires thorough examination by specialists, particularly in the field of media law.
As reported earlier, the Institute of Mass Information’s expertise suggests that bill No. 14057, registered in the parliament by a group of deputies on 21 September 2025, creates censorship risks and sets excessively strict requirements for the media.
