The Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat is surprised with the publication of a comment of the people’s deputy of Ukraine Lesya Orobets in certain online publications accusing the Press Service of playing “shell game” with journalists, accredited at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Particularly, Lesya Orobets claims that “under one shell, the Press Service of the Parliament keeps a document of 2011, which allegedly does not require mass media personnel to agree with the Press Service on access to the committee meetings, and under another, the document of 2006, which provides access to such meetings exclusively as agreed by the Press Service, or at the invitation of committee leaders”.
We remind that on May 16 this year, the people’s deputies of Ukraine Lesya Orobets, Andriy Pyshnyi, Arsen Avakov, Ihor Shvaika and Valeriy Karpuntsov have registered in the Verkhovna Rada the draft resolution on amendments to the Provision on the procedure of accreditation of journalists and mass media technical personnel at the Verkhovna Rada.
The text of the explanatory note to the draft resolution proves that its authors are not acquainted with the content of the current Provision on the procedure of accreditation of journalists and mass media technical personnel at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, approved by the Decree of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of 06/09/2011 Reg. No. 798.
The text of the document is available on the website of the Parliament:
http://iportal.rada.gov.ua/news/Poryadok_akredytatsiji,_Polozhennya_pro_ekskursiji/
Instead, the people’s deputies suggested amending the Provision on the procedure of accreditation of journalists and mass media technical personnel at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, approved by the Decree of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada “On approval of the Provision on the procedure of accreditation of journalists and mass media technical personnel at the Verkhovna Rada, approved by the Decree of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine” of May 19, 2006 Reg. No. 420, which is invalid.
Thereat, we inform that under clause 7 of the current Provision on the procedure of accreditation of journalists and mass media technical personnel at the Verkhovna Rada elaborated in 2011 by consultation and direct participation of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Freedom of Speech and Information, as well as media-lawyers, accreditation cards ensure the right of journalists and technical personnel to access to:
press boxes and lobbies of the session part of the building located at the address 5 Hrushevskoho st. (apart form the session hall) during the meetings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine through porch No 1;
respective buildings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during briefings, press-conferences, round table discussions and other events open to mass media;
respective buildings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during open meetings of the committees and temporary commissions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Under clause 3 of this Provision, journalists and mass media personnel that were not accredited at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine can order one occasion passes in the Press Service.
In regard to the “nervous muster of mass media personnel near the entrance to the Verkhovna Rada committees (3a Sadova st.) on the “committees’ day”, we shall remind that under article 4 of the Law of Ukraine “On state protection of bodies of state power of Ukraine and officials” the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is protected by the state.
Access to the buildings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is one of the most open among all bodies of state power (journalists themselves acknowledge this), for the Press Service provides timely information to the Commandants security office of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in regard to all event taking place in the Parliament and involving mass media representatives.
Summing up, we urge the people’s deputies of Ukraine not to discredit the Press Service and avoid using phrases in their comments that defame honor and dignity of this subdivision of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat and put in doubt professional qualities of the Press Service personnel.
We shall also remind that all other subdivisions of the Secretariat act in strict accordance with the law and inner normative documents of the Parliament.