Ukrainian Judiciary

Approved with the Order

of the Supreme Court of 07 November 2018

No. 173–ОД

PROCEDURE
of Interaction of the Supreme Court with representatives
of the Mass-Media

The interaction of the Supreme Court (hereinafter – Court) with Ukrainian and foreign mass-media, including social media, electronic Internet resources (hereinafter – media) shall be carried out pursuant to the Constitution of Ukraine, procedural laws, the laws of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges”, “On the Access to Public Information”, “On Information”, “On the Procedure of Coverage of the Performance of State Authorities and Local Self-Government Bodies in Ukraine by the Mass Media”, “On Printed Mass Media (Press) in Ukraine”, “On Television and Radio Broadcasting”, “On Information Agencies”, the Regulation on the Staff of the Supreme Court and this Regulation.
The organization of the Court’s interaction with the media shall be carried out by the Head of the Department for Communication Activity (hereinafter – Department) of the Court or a person performing his/her duties.
The media representatives’ access to public zone of the Court and court hearing rooms, where cases are considered openly, shall be carried out on a general basis, taking into account the Instruction on Performing State Protection of the Supreme Court and the Procedure of Access to Objects of Protection agreed by the Department of State Protection of Ukraine on 13 December 2017 and approved by the President of Supreme Court on 14 December 2017.
The presence of the media representatives at court hearings at the Court shall be carried out without preliminary accreditation upon presentation of ID, except for cases, when closed court hearings are held pursuant to procedure law.
The media representatives, as well as other participants of court process and persons present at open court hearing may carry out photography, video- and audio- recording in the court hearing room applying portable video- and audio-recording equipment without getting separate permission of court, but taking into account restrictions established by law.
Broadcasting of court hearing shall be carried out with the permission of the Court.
Taking photos, video- and audio- recording in court hearing room, as well as broadcasting of court hearing shall be carried out without making obstacles for holding the hearing and application of procedural rights by participants of the judicial process. The Court may determine the place in the court hearing rooms for carrying out photo- and video fixation.
The media representatives present at court hearing shall observe general rules of conduct at court hearing, requirements of procedural law, shall not violate rights of other persons, shall not impede administering justice. The violation of the abovementioned requirements entails the responsibility provided with law.
Press credentials of the media representatives to events organized by the Court and not linked with the Court’s procedural activity shall be held separately for each event by means of composing relevant lists by the Department of the Court.
The Court may provide permanent press credentials for the media representatives. Rules on permanent credentials shall be determined with a separate regulation on credentials.

10.1. In case of the implementation of permanent credentials of the media representatives in the Court, the media representatives will be able to visit public official events of the Court without the necessity to go through the full credentials, however with informing about the presence of such media representative at the event.

10.2. Lists of the media representatives wishing to be present at relevant event shall be composed on the basis of telephonic, written claims either ones sent by e-mail, or by means of filling in special e-forms (before the implementation of service for credentials at the official web-site of the Court), noting names and surnames of representatives of the media they represent, and within time period determined in the press announcement.

Informing the media representatives about affairs and events open for visiting by the media to be held by the Court shall be carried out by means of anticipatory publication of press announcements on the official web-site of the Court, the Court’s official profile in Facebook, as well as their sending to e-mails of the media.
If the number of the media representatives wishing to get credentials for the event is bigger than the number of seats in the premises, where the event is held, the Department of the Court may refuse to ensure credentials, informing the media representatives about this.
The media representatives shall observe the Procedure of Access to Administrative Premises of the Supreme Court situated at the addresses:

Kyiv, 8 P. Orlyka str. (Klovskyi Palace);

Kyiv, 8 Moskovska str., 5th building;

Kyiv, 6 O. Kopylenka str.;

Kyiv, 4, 4a P. Orlyka str.;

Kyiv, 28 Povitroflotskyi avenue,

come in advance (10-20 minutes before beginning of the event) with ID and/or press certificate.

Organizational support to performing professional duties by the media representatives and provision them with information materials at the event shall be ensured by the Department of the Court jointly with structural sub-divisions of the Court liable for the event organization.
The coverage of the Court’s activity in the media shall be also carried out by means of sending messages to the media by the Department of the Court via e-mail.
Responses to oral, written and electronic applications on behalf of the media representatives shall be provided by representatives of the Department of the Court in the procedure determined by the Head or a person performing his/her duties.
Responses to information requests of representatives of Ukrainian and foreign media as for the activity of the Court shall be prepared by the Head of the Court Department within his/her competence together with heads of other independent structural sub-divisions of the Court Staff.

PROCEDURE of Interaction of the Supreme Court with representatives of the Mass-Media