NGOs, media call on Verkhovna Rada to resume livestreams of sessions

Illustration by the Institute of Mass Information

Multiple civil society organizations and media outlets are calling on the Verkhovna Rada to resume Rada TV livestreams of plenary sessions and to publish the session agendas in advance.

An address to that effect, to which the Institute of Mass Information is a signatory, was released on the CHESNO Movement website on July 28.

The address asks to resume the livestreams starting with the upcoming session considering the draft bill restoring the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.

“We live in times of great distrust and social tension. Decision-making transparency is not a formality but the basis of trust in the parliament. Secrecy only makes suspicions of backstage deals grow and discredits institutions. We demand to immediately resume livestreams of Verkhovna Rada plenary sessions, starting from the next one,” the address says.

The address notes that the decisions in question are of fundamental importance for anti-corruption reform, international trust in Ukraine, and European integration. “That is why society should be able to see MPs voting in real time and hear what stances they take publicly,” the address says.

Address signed by

Civil society organizations:

1. CHESNO Movement
2. Transparency International Ukraine
3. Anti-Corruption HQ
4. Anti-Corruption Research & Education Centre (ACREC)
5. Anti-corruption centre MEZHA
6. Automaidan
7. Women's Anti-Corruption Movement
8. Analysis Centre StateWatch
9. Institute of Mass Information
10. Detector Media
11. Human Rights Centre ZMIN
12. Joint Action Centre
13. Public Investigation Centre
14. Ukraine's Civil Society Monitoring
15. Public Oversight Coordination Centre
16. SMART MEDIA
17. Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Centre
18. ProMedia
19. Open Data Association 
20. Media network Recovery Window
21. Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracry
22. Media Movement
23. Human Rights Centre ZMINA
24. Rivne centre Social Partnership
25. Docudays
26. Media group De Facto
27. National Association of Local Government Bodies "Cities of Ukraine Association"
28. Institute of Legislative Ideas
29. Code 21
30. Ukraine's Veterans Park
31. Agency for Legislative Initiatives
32. Ukrainian Independent Centre for Political Research

Media:

1. Bihus.Info
2. ZN.UA 
3. Hlavkom
4. LB.ua 
5. Online media outlet Platfor.ma
6. Oleksiy Tarasov, Radio NV chief editor
7. NGL.media
8. Slidstvo.Info
9. Online media outlet ZHAR.INFO
10. Media group Prykhyst
11. Zaporizhzhia Investigation Centre
12. Solutions journalism outlet Rubryka
13. Skhidnyi Variant
14. Investigative journalism agency Chetverta Vlada
15. Ukraїner
16. Nashi Hroshi
17. Varosh
18. Ukrainian Pravda
19. Suspilne
20. The Ukrainians Media
21. Graty
22. Espreso

The address is open for signing: join.