State TV and Radio Broadcasting Committee also against Morality Draft Bill

Placard outside the parliamentary hearings on the Morality Act amendments.  It says "Shame on censors!"

The State TV and Radio Broadcasting Committee has posted a statement on its website saying that it does not support the proposed amendments to the Law on the Protection of Public Morality [Morality Act].

While agreeing in general with the need for legislation on protection of public morality, the Committee is against the given draft law “since if it is passed it will not promote the safeguarding of freedom of speech in Ukraine. The unclear and abstract legislative definitions in the morality sphere will create the preconditions for the return in Ukraine of censorship and possibility of pressure on the media. “

The Committee also draws issue with the provisions of the draft law which speak of a special collegiate state body – the National Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality since the President’s Decree from 9 December 2010 envisaged the dissolution of that body.

“Furthermore some social relations which the draft bill proposes to regulate are already legally regulated by other legislative acts.”  The statement cites as examples the Laws on the Printed Mass Media (Press) in Ukraine; on Television and Radio Broadcasting; on Advertising; on Publishing, etc. “The draft law contains unclear category structure which will make application of its provisions in practice difficult”.

The draft law is thus not aimed at resolving issues with protection of public morality.