Ukrainian Parliament votes to summon Security Service chief due to case of spying on Bihus.Info journalists

The Members of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) have voted to summon Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), to the Parliament to hear his report about wiretapping the Bihus.Info group.

Source: MP from the Voice party Yaroslav Zhelezniak, MP from the European Solidarity party Oleksii Honcharenko

Quote from Zhelezniak: "After the speech of (Yaroslav) Yurchyshyn, head of the Committee for Freedom of Speech, about the wiretapping of Bihus, I submitted for consideration a summoning of the SSU chief to the Verkhovna Rada. 159 MPs voted in favour, the decision was made."

Details: MP Oleksii Honcharenko also confirmed that the Parliament had voted.

Photo: Zhelezniak on Telegram

Background: 

• On 16 January, a video was leaked to the Internet showing Bihus.Info investigation project employees allegedly using narcotic substances. Project manager Denys Bihus recorded a video message with explanations and assured the public that everyone who cooperates with Bihus.Info will undergo drug tests.
• Investigative journalists from the Bihus.Info group claim to have identified those who had installed hidden cameras in hotel rooms to conduct surveillance of the editorial board. They were members of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Roman Semenchenko, the head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine.
• The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) stated on 5 February that the leadership had made some "decisions" concerning its personnel, and that "certain members of Bihus.Info were identified" among clients of known drug dealers.

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