Priests and Journalists Not to Be Interrogated in Court

Ukrainian deputies defined categories of persons who cannot be interrogated as witnesses with regard to information received by them in the process of fulfillment of their professional responsibilities. The deputies decided that priests and journalists cannot be witnesses in court with regard to confidential information with which they are trusted. Two hundred and fifty-nine deputies voted for this wording of Article 65 of the new Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to liga.net, the article says that lawyers and representatives of a victim or plaintiff cannot be interrogated as witnesses of circumstances about which they learnt in the process of fulfillment of the functions of a representative or lawyer; lawyers cannot give evidence concerning their lawyer’s secret, notaries cannot give evidence concerning information which is notary secret, doctors concerning doctor’s secret, priests concerning information received during confession, journalists concerning confidential information of professional character given to them on condition of non-disclosure.

Lawyers and representatives of victims, lawyers, notaries, doctors and priests can be released from the responsibility to keep the professional secret. The release is to be given in written form and signed by the person, who entrusted information to them.