At a meeting of the Conciliation Council of factions and committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the issue of inviting the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, in connection with the revealed illegal surveillance of employees of the “Bihus.Info” project was discussed. However, a decision has not yet been made on a specific date for the hearing, as reported by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, on his Telegram channel.
"The Conciliation Council of Factions and Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine considered the proposal of the Deputy Head of the Holos faction, Yulia Klymenko, to invite the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, in connection with the alleged illegal surveillance of employees of the 'Bihus.Info' project," the report states.
However, the decision on the specific date of receiving the guest has been postponed to a meeting of the leaders of factions and groups.
"I really hope that the leadership of the parliament, factions and groups will implement the decision of 159 deputies, and we will still hear a report on this urgent issue at the next parliamentary session at the end of February. And let me remind you that the hearing of the head of the SBU at the Committee on National Security and Defense, which took place the other day, is not a report to the parliament," Yurchyshyn emphasized.
According to information released on January 16, Bihus.Info employees were caught on video using banned substances. On the same day, the project manager, Denys Bigus, announced illegal surveillance and wiretapping by the SBU, as well as personnel changes.
In response to these statements, the Security Service of Ukraine launched an investigation into the illegal wiretapping and videotaping of representatives of “Bihus.Info”.
On February 5, journalists from “Bihus.Info” reported that they were being monitored by the SBU.
Also, the Security Service of Ukraine made personnel changes in the Department for the Protection of National Statehood, dismissing its head.
In accordance with the adopted decision, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided to invite the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Malyuk to a meeting to discuss the situation related to pressure on employees of the investigative journalistic project “Bihus.Info”. His speech may take place at the end of February.
The Attorney General's Office has assigned the State Bureau to investigate the case.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to attacks against the media and emphasized the inadmissibility of any pressure on journalists.
