You're reading: Yefremov: Draft law on defamation to be discussed in public before second reading

 Oleksandr Yefremov, the leader of the Regions Party faction, has expressed confidence that the draft law on toughening punishment for attacks upon honor, dignity and business reputation of people will surely be discussed in public before second reading.

The press service of the Party of Regions reported on September 21, 2012 that Yefremov stated this at a meeting with members of the pre-electoral delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), commenting on the passing at first reading the law on amendments to the Criminal and Criminal-Procedural codes of Ukraine on toughening punishment for attacks upon honor, dignity and business reputation of people.

“I don’t know if the law is endorsed. When I talked to reporters I proposed: let’s cooperate to pass the document. I believe that the law does not point against journalists. It aims at streamlining our living in the state,” Yefremov said.

He took the local council election held in October 2010 as an example.

“Our college, a representative of opposition, [Hennadiy] Moskal arrived to one region. Speaking on a television channel he showed a photo with a villa and said why you voted for this person. He said that he knew for sure that he had a villa in Nice. How one can support him, he said. This person had been proving for two years that he does not possess any villa. He came to Moskal and asked why he had done this. Moskal said that there was nothing personal, only politics,” Yefremov said.