A draft law that calls for penalties of up to five years in jail for defamation passed a first reading in the Ukrainian Parliament on Sep. 18, with 244 MPs from the ruling Party of Regions and their allies voting in its favor.
According to the Global Voices report, Ukrainian citizens and media outlets launched an online campaign against the adoption of the bill, forcing its author, MP Vitaly Zhuravsky, to submit a request to recall the law on Sep. 25.
