Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine establishes that everyone is guaranteed the right to freedom of thought and speech, to the free expression of their views and beliefs. Article 9 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion.
The High Council of Justice respects the right of everyone to freedom of opinion and does everything possible to ensure that citizens of Ukraine in general and representatives of civil society in particular receive reliable information from the HCJ on the HCJ's activities in a timely manner.
Examples of such steps include online broadcasting of all meetings of the High Council of Justice and its Disciplinary Chambers, involvement of media and civil society representatives in events organised by the HCJ. There are 9 registers on the HCJ's official website that provide comprehensive information on documents and materials created by the HCJ and its Secretariat. As of 1 November 2024, 4275 responses to citizens appeals were provided and 1335 requests for public information were considered. The HCJ hotline was called 2134 times this year. Since 2024, the HCJ has been forming 17 datasets and publishing them on the Open Data Portal. An important step towards openness and transparency of the HCJ's activities is the roll-call vote of the HCJ members during decision-making.
Despite the HCJ's policy of maximum openness, certain media, a number of anonymous telegram channels and some social media pages have been launching information attacks to discredit the HCJ and its members for months. False, far-fetched, and sometimes openly manipulative information about the activities of the Council members is being disseminated. Moreover, such publications disclose personal data of the HCJ members, which is a violation of the law and an invasion of privacy, thus violating fundamental human rights. Such unverified, anonymous publications or posts have nothing to do with freedom of opinion and speech, and nothing to do with the democratic principles of society. Such activities undermine the authority of the constitutional body.
The HCJ demonstrates its transparency and openness on a daily basis, and the HCJ members have been vetted by the Ethics Council. Systematic “whistleblowing” or “insider” reports not only spread rumours and gossip, but also mostly generate them.
Members of the HCJ as public figures are ready for public criticism, but open and constructive criticism.
That is why the HCJ calls on all those interested in the work of the constitutional body of judicial governance to trust official and verified information published on the HCJ's official information resources.
We live in a time of post-truth, with ‘’truth lovers‘’ tirelessly searching for ‘’compromising materials‘’ on HCJ members day and night, not really aiming to tell the public the truth but acting solely in private or corporate interests.
The HCJ is open to cooperation and communication on any issues or situations.
Please be attentive! Trust only verified information.
HCJ press office.