What should we expect and will the conditions for exercising the right to information really improve? We will examine the laws passed with regard, firstly, to removal of the significant flaws in the Law on Information, and secondly, with how they meet international standards

It could be said that adopting the Draft Law 3014 in such a state is impossible, and the need for it is doubtful in principle, given that the communications market successfully regulates itself.

Anatoly Boiko, head of the Odessa Regional Branch of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine [CVU] has warned that Odessa is “on the threshold of terror” following the leaking of personal data about people who have spoken out in support of Ukraine’s unity.

The creation of this Register will result in wide-scale infringement of people’s right to privacy and the NGOs believe it likely that the European Court of Human Rights will find that it violates Ukrainians’ rights

On Oct 9 at “Life under X-Ray: How to prevent the Unified State Demographic Register" civic activists will be considering one of the most dangerous laws passed over the last three years and there has been stiff competition.

President Yanukovych has made many eyebrow-raising appointments over the last three years. Considering the stiff competition, this may not be the worst, but with respect to corruption it is perhaps in a league of its own

Opposition politicians and journalists are increasingly being bugged having their email addresses hacked. The victims are convinced that this is intimidation on the order of those in high places

The website Nashi Hroshi [Our Money] which monitors how the authorities spend taxpayers’ money reports another scandalous aspect of a law already condemned by human rights organizations

“Ukraine fatigue” is palpable in the wake of the parliamentary elections, however two more dangerous laws just signed into force make it clear that turning away cannot be an option

The President’s “veto” of the “biometric law” proved as make-believe as the exercise in the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday in which the ruling majority obediently passed all amendments leaving the causes for grave concern untouched

The President has formally used his power of veto with respect to the Law on a Unified State Demographic Register Unfortunately neither the circumstances of the veto nor the scant details available give any grounds for confidence

The President’s decision regarding a dangerous law creating enormous scope for State invasion of privacy, abuse and a huge financial burden on individual Ukrainians is now overdue and anxiously awaited

The Ministry of Infrastructure is planning to introduce changes to railway transport, including checks on passports (internal ID documents) both when buying tickets and when boarding a train

On Tuesday civic activists staged a protest outside the President’s Administration calling on him to veto the Law on a Unified State Demographic Register

Since the Law on a Unified State Demographic Register is alleged to be needed to implement the EU-Ukraine Visa Liberalization Action Plan, it seems imperative that EU representatives are fully aware of the grave concern over this bill among human rights and civic organizations.

A law adopted on 2 October introduces an inordinately large number of biometric documents while creating a single database with worrying scope and no protection of privacy

By bringing in a State Demographic Register, MPs want to have total biometric records on Ukrainians. Much more information will be included than Ukraine’s international commitments demand.

Viktor Tymoshchuk from the Centre for Political and Legal Reform gives a damning assessment of the latest bill proposing to use biometric information on 13 different types of documents

The Personal Data Protection Act has demonstrated a number of problems including restriction of access to public information on grounds of confidentiality of personal data and excessive administrative demands on the processing of personal data

From 1 July 2012 stiff penalties can be imposed for violation of a law condemned by media and human rights organizations, not least because of the enormous scope it provides for abuse.