Verkhovna Rada axes controversial bill criminalizing sharing of registry aata

Source: Yaroslav Zheleznyak/Telegram

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has failed to pass Bill No. 10242, which proposed prison sentences of up to eight years for disclosing information from state registries. The bill has been sent for a second reading, after it received only 213 votes.

The controversial bill had a clause allowing the return of assets confiscated from individuals who made plea deals in corruption cases. MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak wondered how it could affect this provision after the bill has been stalled. He also mentioned an ‘alternative’ bill, No. 12269, which could help tackle the issue more appropriately.

The revised version of the bill may reduce proposed sentences to 2–5 years, compared to the original range of 5–8 years.

The legislation has drawn significant criticism from journalists and human rights groups, who warn it could hinder efforts to expose corruption schemes.