MPs adopted the Law onamendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Public Moral Protection” regardingexclusion of state supervision powers of National Commission for MoralProtection.

On 10 February 2015, VerkhovnaRada of Ukraine adopted the Law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On PublicMoral Protection” regarding state supervision powers (draft No. 1647). The aim of this draft is to improve state supervision in the sphere ofmoral and non-admission of information activity’s censorship.

During many years, Media LawInstitute fought for the liquidation of this body that in fact is an instrumentof censorship in the State’s hands.

Provisions that deal withobligatory expertise, evaluation, provision of NCMP’s positive conclusions forspreading informative production of sexual or erotic character are excludedfrom the Law of Ukraine “On Public Moral Protection”,  though the new Law does not straightly foreseeliquidation of National Commission for Moral Protection.

Instead of that, the draftforesees a clear distinction of powers between MIA, Ministry of Culture, StateCinema, State Television and Radio Committee and National Council on Questionsof Television and Radio Broadcasting that have to maintain supervision for thedemands of legislation on public moral protection.

Thus, at last Ukraine will beable to maintain its international obligations that deal with freedom of speechprovision and to liquidate pseudo-expert censorship body that swallowed statefunds for providing doubtful, null and void legal opinions for more than 10years.