Psychiatrist and MPs on Kiva and the "Olympics for Whores": "Kiva Is the Face of Ukrainian Politics"

Psychiatrist and MPs on Kiva and the "Olympics for Whores": "Kiva Is the Face of Ukrainian Politics"

In the current convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, MP from the OPZZh faction Illia Kiva is one of the most odious and scandalous figures. Censor.NET spoke with representatives of various factions about one of his latest statements about Ukraine.

"If there were an Olympics for whores in the world, Ukraine would always take all the prize places, and then the Ukrainian anthem would play endlessly," — this comment was left under his Facebook post by MP Illia Kiva of the Opposition Platform — For Life faction. The post itself was about the recent detention of Ukrainian citizens in the UAE for violating public morality norms.

The parliamentarian’s statements similarly fell outside the bounds of that same morality. And not for the first time. Commenting on an investigation into illegal houses owned by then-MP from Servant of the People Oleksandr Tkachenko, he declared: "Bitch, salaries in envelopes, they buy whores... They wiped their shitty asses with our country and pretend, sluts, that nothing is happening." He later recorded a video in which he used obscene language toward Ukrainians who have a negative attitude toward decommunization. In February of this year he verbally abused a journalist in the parliamentary corridors. At the end of 2019 he was caught in the chamber performing strange manipulations around the groin area after messaging with a model. That same 2019 year Kiva came to parliament wearing a Joker mask, and he was also caught watching a rather racy video. In January 2020 the parliamentarian fought with an ATO veteran in a capital restaurant. On the eve of 9 May of that year the MP accused "Prime Minister" Shmyhal of Nazism. In May of that year Kiva responded obscenely to a question about OPZZh’s pro-Russian orientation near the walls of parliament. "You're an idiot. I'll now hand in my deputy ID and beat the #бало out of you," Kiva said then. In September 2020 he, together with Putin's godfather Viktor Medvedchuk, brought to the Rada the flag of the Lukashenko regime, which supposedly "protected Belarus from capture and enslavement." And commenting on the weekend quarantine he said that "only cowards and losers observed the quarantine."

In principle, one could ignore the "Olympics for whores" and similar words and manners if not for one "but": Kiva is a people's deputy of Ukraine who represents the Verkhovna Rada both inside the country and abroad. Censor.NET spoke with his colleagues about such behavior of the people's representative and the possible consequences of his actions.

"WHO, IF NOT KIVA, WOULD KNOW BEST ABOUT POLITICAL WHORES, GIVEN HOW HE HAS SWITCHED POLITICAL CAMPS"

- I consider this situation abnormal, says Serhii Yevtushok, an MP from the Batkivshchyna faction who works on the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Deputy Ethics and Organization of Work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. "This is not the first such statement by Kiva. There have been previous precedents. We discussed his statements toward journalists at the rules committee. Most likely, we will consider this issue as well. If such words are heard in the Verkhovna Rada — from the parliamentary rostrum or from the floor — we will react decisively. Then we could deprive him of the right to attend five plenary sessions. If such statements are made outside parliament, it’s more complicated. We cannot control the entire deputy corps. In general, we have many deputies who abuse freedom of speech and make not very ethical statements. It's very difficult to keep an eye on them. Moreover, from the point of view of the law this is not accompanied by anything."

"Ukraine currently lacks a mechanism to strip a deputy of his mandate. This is more of a political responsibility. Kiva represents OPZZh. I understand that this is their party worldview. They took this person onto their team. The leaders of the OPZZh faction should react here. But we see that such things suit them. It turns out they love their native country that way."

"Kiva is generally associated with provocative stories. But because of this we all look not very good. I’ve been to many parliaments around the world. There they observe a certain culture in everything: from business dress code to MPs’ statements. Unfortunately, we see something different. Deputies often come into the chamber in shorts and sandals barefoot. That’s a disrespect to the country’s highest legislative institution. Another point: a session is underway and the majority present run around the hall, block cameras, shout down speakers and chairpersons. I will raise this issue at our committee meeting. We need to record some position on this. However, in general deputies need to remember that they remain deputies even outside the parliament."

Yaroslave Yurchyshyn of the Holos faction is convinced that the rules committee should initiate consideration of this situation without any appeals:

- We need to give a harsh assessment. Even if there will be attempts to claim that this was not in the moment of parliamentary activity. But a deputy is a people's representative at all times. Therefore he must understand the weight of his words.

Different parliaments around the world resolve issues of unethical behavior by deputies differently. Mostly they have already dealt with this. Something could be borrowed. For example, signing an ethical code of parliamentarians together with the oath, which would give the rules committee broader powers. Or creating a parliamentary sergeants service — those who control compliance with the rules, have quasi-law-enforcement functions that allow them to remove deputies from the chamber for incorrect behavior.

It is worth noting that the situation in the Verkhovna Rada is gradually improving. If we set aside figures like Illia Kiva, whom one can perceive more as a post-Soviet atavism, compared to previous convocations the number of fights and insults has not increased. Professionalism hasn't improved either. But MPs’ ethical behavior is slowly getting better. For singletons like Kiva or Yevhen Shevchenko from Servant of the People (who very often allows himself insulting statements), or other deputies who make sexist jokes, the relevant committee should react. Regardless of which political force the offender comes from. But it turns out in our case: very often attention is drawn to opposition members, while actions of pro-government members remain unnoticed. It is important that there be no bias. In my opinion, preparing such a comprehensive ethical code would give society and our international partners a very positive signal, so that it is clear: cases like Illia Kiva are exceptions, not the rule. I really hope that our term will reach the adoption of such a code in one form or another: as an addition to the oath, to the rules, or as a separate document. Such a proposal has already been voiced. As far as I know, the Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives has already undertaken a broader study of this topic and made a political analysis of how it is implemented in other countries. Considering recent events, when more and more unethical steps are seen from various people's deputies, this topic should be raised. But this is about the long-term perspective. In the short term, as I said, there should be a harsh reaction from the committee. Although when Kiva sent journalist Danylo Mokryk away, the rules committee saw nothing in that. It's a pity, because this is not an individual case — parliament shows that it tolerates such behavior."

"If to react emotionally, I would answer here: who, if not Kiva, would know best about political whores, given how he changed political camps during his short career here."

Oleksii Honcharenko of the European Solidarity faction advises voters not to elect deputies like Kiva:

- I think half of OPZZh’s voters are women. I'm curious how they react to such treatment toward them.

Such behavior by Kiva damages the country's image. It's true that every parliament in the world has its freaks. But responsibility can only be political. Because we have freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution. There is also an exhaustive list of grounds for stripping a people's deputy of powers here.

For example, a few years ago during a speech Zelensky said that Ukraine resembles an actress from "German films." But at that time he was not a politician, he had no relation to state governance. An artist, broadly speaking, can allow himself to say whatever and do what he wants. Kiva is a politician who represents a specific party. He is not a majoritarian. But our issue is that the political force whose list got him into the Verkhovna Rada is in the top three of party ratings and does not in any way distance itself from him. If they remain silent, it turns out all OPZZh members adhere to such views. I would draw attention to that. And that's frightening.

"RUSSIA WILL GLADLY USE KIVA’S STATEMENTS"

The pro-government Servant of the People faction is also outraged by such a statement from the OPZZh MP.

- The rules committee must consider Kiva’s behavior. Measures need to be taken, emphasizes Mykyta Poturayev. "In my opinion, a deputy, both legally and morally-ethically, has no right to defame the country he represents. When a people's deputy of Ukraine stoops to such statements, it disgraces parliamentarism, the deputy corps, and the country as a whole. Kiva's words demonstrate disrespect for his own state, the people who elected him. You can disagree with the policy of the authorities or the ruling party, but here we are talking about the country and Ukrainian society."

Will there be a reaction on the international stage? Officially no. Russia may gladly use such statements and say: "See, even Ukrainian people's deputies say such things about their own country!" But in civilized countries they are unlikely to react.

- I once professionally dealt with holding a deputy accountable for his statements, says Oleksandr Kachura. "According to the rules, a deputy is responsible only for what happens in the plenary hall and the working bodies of the Verkhovna Rada. What he writes on social networks is purely an ethical matter. The committee can evaluate this, but it will not directly imply deprivation of the right to be at plenary sessions. Even when such precedents occurred — when such words were spoken from the rostrum that could have led to liability — the committee for some reason did not consider these cases. To be correct, colleagues did not fully research the matter and did not want to take on political responsibility to restrict someone’s presence in the chamber."

First of all, conclusions should be drawn by the party the deputy was elected from and by the voters. No other instruments work. In the first case there may be some internal party sanctions, condemnation, or something similar. In the second — people need to look at whom they vote for in elections. That's it. Because we do not have an imperative mandate. When we have the ability to recall a people's deputy, that's another matter. We, together with Stefanchuk, are dealing with this issue and, as an option, consider the idea: for such systematic statements that can discredit the institution, by popular initiative (and if it has support) a parliamentarian could be recalled."

From a moral point of view, statements like Kiva's are unacceptable, unethical, and discredit the parliament and the Constitution. If a private person spoke like that — it's their right. But when it comes to a representative mandate, this should not be. Because deputies can be read by everyone, including our international partners, as well as Russian propaganda, which will quote him. That's abnormal."

At the time of publication Censor.NET was unable to obtain a comment from MPs of the OPZZh faction.

"KIVA IS THE FACE OF UKRAINIAN POLITICS"

Censor.NET turned to Semen Hluzman, President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Ukraine, to comment on Illia Kiva’s behavior and statements:

- It is clear that such statements are offensive. I will put it this way: Kiva is the face of Ukrainian politics. Tomorrow he can be in another party if they take him. He doesn’t care. He is mentally healthy. When certain psychiatric questions were raised, they were brought up to avoid criminal responsibility (Kiva was suspected of extorting a bribe, but he only received a fine, as journalists found out, due to a certificate from a psychiatric hospital about disability. — O.M.). He is a player, so he behaves accordingly."

Why do we elect such people? First, because we still remain an infantile and trusting people. Second, the electoral system is arranged so as to vote for precisely such candidates.

Olha Moskaliuk, Censor.NET