Parliament sessions not broadcast live for security reasons, says Stefanchuk
Verkhovna Rada sessions are not broadcast live due to security reasons.
Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk stated this in an interview with the Rada TV channel, as reported by Detector Media and cited by Censor.NET.
Stefanchuk reminded that parliamentarians decided to suspend live broadcasts after the full-scale war began in 2022.
"I just want to remind everyone of 2022, when the country was facing what it faced. The Ukrainian Parliament gathered and passed all necessary decisions. That day, among other things, we adopted information and security measures for Parliament. No matter what people think about Parliament or individual MPs, it is an institution that sometimes makes decisions no one else can make," said the Rada chairman.
At that time, it was decided that session recordings would be published online one hour after the meeting ends.
"This is not a decision by the Speaker or the presidium; it is a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. I think this question should be addressed to those who violate (this rule -ed). But again, I’ll say: we have always ensured openness in the Ukrainian Parliament, balancing it with security," Stefanchuk said.
He noted that media representatives have access to the Verkhovna Rada, while some MPs avoid communicating with journalists despite claims about the need for openness.
"For example, whenever I have the chance, I always come out and talk to Ukrainian journalists. Yet some talk about the need for transparency but themselves don’t show up or engage. Well, we know this too—let’s be honest," the parliament speaker said.
Stefanchuk added that "as soon as security concerns subside, the Ukrainian parliament will continue to be an open platform and a people’s house for every Ukrainian."
Recall that Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and a ‘Holos’ party MP, plans to register a resolution to restore live broadcasts of plenary sessions on the Rada TV channel.
