Responding to today's vote in the Ukrainian Parliament the Secretary General issued the following statement : "I welcome that the draft law criminalising defamation has been withdrawn from the procedure in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Defamation is a legitimate concern, but criminal sanctions are the wrong response.

I encourage the Ukrainian authorities to engage in a dialogue with media organisations, civil society and all political forces, in order to agree on civil remedies that offer adequate protection against defamation without unjustly interfering with freedom of expression."