Freedom of Speech Barometer for September 2022
In September, the Institute of Mass Information recorded 19 crimes against freedom of speech in Ukraine. Of these, 14 were committed by Russia against the media and journalists on Ukrainian territory.
The Russians' crimes include kidnappings, attacks on journalists and TV towers, as well as streaming Russian propaganda in the occupied territories.
At the same time, IMI recorded 5 cases of freedom of speech violation for which the Ukrainian side is responsible. All these cases were related to restricting journalists' access to public information.
These are the monitoring data of the Institute of Mass Information.
In September, IMI learned that as new territories of Luhansk oblast were being occupied, the Russian military detained three female journalists from local media and kept them in the premises of the so-called "LPR MSS" for several days.
In Kherson, the Russian occupiers also kidnapped three bloggers who had spoken out against the occupiers and supported Ukraine on social media. Among them was patriotic blogger Olena Naumova, who was kidnapped for the second time. Two more local bloggers were kidnapped along with her – Valeriy Komahorov and Olegivna29, who ran the TikTok channel koshmarik_olegivna29 and were supportive of Ukraine there. All three were forced to record an apology video for insulting the Russian military.
In Kakhovka, the occupiers kidnapped Zhanna Kyselyova, editor of the Kakhovska Zorya newspaper, and later released her.
Fakty ICTV, TSN, and Channel 5 filming crews came under Russian fire. In particular, the Russians used a drone to drop explosives the Fakty ICTV filming crew in Senkivka village, Chernihiv oblast. The attack occurred while the crew was working on a story about the aftermath of shelling in the village. The journalist, the cameraman, and the drivers were unharmed. The editors note that the enemy probably aimed at the TV channel's car. The fragments damaged the door and broke the window.
Channel 5 filming crew came under fire while working in Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast. The channel's journalist Olha Kalinovska told IMI that the shelling was targeted and massive.
The last time the Russian troops tried to target a TV tower was in Zaporizhzhia on September 22. It was not the TV tower itself, but the area around it that was damaged. Namely, TV center where the editorial office of Suspilne Zaporizhzhia is located has been damaged.
The freedom of speech situation in Ukraine for which Ukrainian citizens are responsible
In September, IMI recorded five cases of freedom of speech violation for which the Ukrainian side is responsible. All these cases were related to restricting access to public information for journalists. These cases were recorded in Kyiv, Kamyanets-Podilsky, and Poltava oblast.
In particular, journalist, BIHUS.Info editor Maksym Opanasenko has been waiting almost a month for a response from the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus to his information request regarding the use of budget funds for the deputies' work.
In Poltava, the education department of the Poltava City Council responded to a request from Fundament journalist Nadia Kucher by advising her to search for the requested information herself.
In Kremenchuk (Poltava oblast), journalists complained about selective admission of journalists to a City Council session. Prohrama Plus and Kremenchutska Hazeta reported that only representatives of the communal TV channel KTRC were present at the Kremenchuk City Council's September 29 session.
RUSSIA'S CRIMES
Capturing and kidnapping of journalists – 8
12.09.2022 UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khylyuk, who went missiong in Kyiv oblast in spring the Russian occupation, is being held in a pre-trial detention center in Bryansk, Russian Federation.
Media Initiative for Human Rights coordinator Olha Reshetylova spoke with Hromadske about this.
"After interviewing Volodymyr Khrypun, a Red Cross volunteer who had been released from captivity, we found out that journalist Dmytro Khylyuk is being held in a detention center in Bryansk. Volodymyr heard his last name at a roll call, he didn't even see him. But when we started making this information public, the Russians stopped calling them by their last names and assigned them numbers instead," said Olha Reshetylova.
The International Committee of the Red Cross should have confirmed the whereabouts of the prisoners, but its representatives do not have access to the colonies and pretrial detention centers where Ukrainians are being illegally held.
As IMI reported, on March 28, journalist Natalia Bohuta reported that Dmytro Khylyuk had gone missing and was probably being held captive by the Russian military. Despite the Kyiv oblast having been liberated from the Russian occupiers, UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khylyuk was not found, and there has been no contact with him since early March of this year.
2. Russian troops kidnap Kakhovska Zorya editor Zhanna Kyselyova
19.09.2022 Russian troops kidnapped Zhanna Kyselyova, the editor of the Kakhovska Zorya newspaper. This was reported by the Kakhovka city territorial community.
Along with Kyselova, the Russians also kidnapped local resident Iryna Razumey.
They were kidnapped in the morning of September 19 from their apartments in the same building in the center of Kakhovka.
Zhanna Kyselyova headed the district newspaper for many years and fought for its denationalization.
In 2020, she was elected a Kakhovka City Council deputy.
According to the regional representative of IMI, as of yesterday morning, her fate remained unknown.
We remind that Kakhovka, Kherson oblast, has been under Russian occupation since March.
22.09.2022 While occupying new territories of Luhansk oblast, the Russian troops detained a journalist from a local media oultet and kept her in the premises of the so-called "LPR MSS" for several days.
One of the detained journalists, whose name we are withholding for safety reasons, told an IMI representative about this in a private conversation.
According to the journalist, her colleague is also from a small town. The Russian occupiers detained her outside her home in April and told her to follow them. Others took the phones and working equipment from her home. She was taken to the local "LPR MSS" branch, and later to Luhansk. They spent six hours questioning her about her life, work, salary, and social circle. After the interrogation, she ended up in a cell with her colleague, the third journalist whose detention is now known.
As soon as they were released, they were able to tell their colleagues in the free territory what had happened to them. In a few months, the women managed to escape from the occupation.
Our colleagues are not ready to tell their stories publicly yet due to fear for their families. These towns are still occupied.
4. One more journalist detained in a "LPR MSS" torture prison by the Russians
22.09.2022 While occupying new territories of Luhansk oblast, the Russian troops detained another (third) journalist from a local media oultet and kept her in the premises of the so-called "LPR MSS" for several days.
One of the detained journalists, whose name we are withholding for safety reasons, told an IMI representative about this in a private conversation.
After the interrogation, she ended up in a cell with her colleague, the third journalist whose detention is now known.
The occupiers offered the women three options: prison, deportation, collaboration.
As soon as they were released, the journalists were able to tell their colleagues in the free territory what had happened to them. In a few months, the women managed to escape from the occupation.
Our colleagues are not ready to tell their stories publicly yet due to fear for their families. These towns are still occupied.
5. Russians in Kherson kidnap patriotic blogger Olena Naumova again
23.09.2022 Russians in Kherson kidnapped patriotic blogger Olena Naumova, who filmed TikTok videos in which she talked about life under occupation and also expressed support for Ukraine, again. The occupiers forced her to record a video of herself "repenting."
Valery Komahorov and his girlfriend, whom the propaganda channel's host calls "Olegivna 29," are also among the abducted. Propaganda TV channel Perviy Respublikansky, which speaks from occupied Donetsk, called them online extremists.
On August 23, the Russian military kidnapped Olena Naumova from her home in temporarily occupied Kherson. She was released on September 6.
Her son has confirmed that she has been kidnapped again. According to Mykola, on September 19, representatives of the occupation authorities (Mykola calls them "curators") asked Olena if she was ready to leave for the free Ukrainian territory. The woman agreed, and her relatives have not seen her since.
In the propaganda video, Naumova, a bruise under her eye, apologizes for insulting the Russian military – in Russian, which has been uncharacteristic for her lately.
"The actions of the mentioned persons were not detrimental to the 'state security of Kherson oblast,' therefore, after an according talk, they were issued an official warning," the host said.
We remind that Olena Naumova filmed TikTok videos in which she talked about life under occupation and also expressed support for Ukraine.
7. Russians kidnap a Kherson blogger and force him to film a "repentance" video
23.09.2022 Russians in Kherson kidnapped blogger Valery Komahorov who had been running a pro-Ukrainian TikTok channel koshmarik_olegivna29 together with his girlfriend, another blogger called Olegivna 29.
Propaganda TV channel Perviy Respublikansky, which speaks from occupied Donetsk, called the kidnapped online extremists. They ran a blog on Instagram, which is banned in Russia; the host called it "a hotbed of Russophobia and Ukrainian extremism." Later, they made TikTok accounts.
Their blog was quite popular, and their videos were getting a lot of views.
"The actions of the mentioned persons were not detrimental to the 'state security of Kherson oblast,' therefore, after an according talk, they were issued an official warning," the host said.
He also added that in case of further "public activity" they would face criminal liability.
8. Russians kidnap another Kherson blogger and force her to film a "repentance" video
23.09.2022 Russians in Kherson kidnapped blogger Olegivna 29 who had been running a pro-Ukrainian TikTok channel koshmarik_olegivna29 together with her boyfriend, another blogger called Valery Komahorov.
Propaganda TV channel Perviy Respublikansky, which speaks from occupied Donetsk, called the kidnapped online extremists. They ran a blog on Instagram, which is banned in Russia; the host called it "a hotbed of Russophobia and Ukrainian extremism." Later, they made TikTok accounts.
Their blog was quite popular, and their videos were getting a lot of views.
"The actions of the mentioned persons were not detrimental to the 'state security of Kherson oblast,' therefore, after an according talk, they were issued an official warning," the host said.
He also added that in case of further "public activity" they would face criminal liability.
Firing on journalists – 3
1. russians use a drone to drop explosives on Fakty ICTV filming crew
06.09.2022 Fakty ICTV film crew came under russian fire in Senkivka village, Chernihiv oblast. Fakty ICTV reports this.
While the crew was working on a story about the aftermath of shelling in the village, explosives were dropped on the them from a drone. The journalist, the cameraman, and the drivers were unharmed.
The editors note that the enemy probably aimed at the TV channel's car. The fragments damaged the door and broke the window.
Senkivka is located on the border that Ukraine shares with russia and Belarus. Despite the fact that the enemy opens fire every once in a while, people continue to live there.
2. TSN journalist in Kharkiv fled the shelling while livestreaming
12.09.2022 TSN journalist Victoria Streltsova came under Russian fire on September 12 while holding a livestream from Kharkiv, ТSN reports.
Victoria was talking about the restoration of power supply in the city after the September 11 attacks when suddenly there was a powerful explosion.
She had to run for cover while livestreaming. When she got to the bomb shelter, she said that several explosions were heard in the city center. She could feel the shock wave herself.
As IMI reported, in early May, TSN crew (Oleksandr Zahorodny, Ivan Holovach, Vitaliy Ovsyannikov) of the 1+1 TV channel came under cluster bombing in Maryinka, Donetsk oblast, during the filming.
In late May, TSN filming crew came under Russian missile fire near Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast. This happened during a live report by journalist Oleksandr Zahorodny and cameraman Ivan Holovach.
3. Channel 5 filming crew comes under fire in Donetsk oblast
27.09.2022 On September 27, Channel 5 filming crew came under fire while working in Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast.
The channel's editor and journalist Olha Kalinovska wrote about this on her Facebook page.
In her comment to an IMI representative, she said that they had arrived in Bakhmut around 1:00 p.m. At first, they worked on the outskirts, near the broken bridge.
"There, we we filming the people crossing it, recording their stories. There was constant shelling in the area, but it was on the outskirts. Then, we were filming people collecting water near the bridge. The shelling was coming closer," the journalist said.
According to her, later, the filming crew moved to the city center and talked to people there. At that time, the shelling was moving closer to the center.
"After all, we can distinguish the sound, how loud it is. The elderly man whom we were talking to packed his bags and left, and we worked for a little while more and started moving along the main road towards Kostyantynivka. It is near the city council. And when we almost reached the square near the city council, we first heard a whistle, saw the shell hit for the first time. It was not far from us. The cameraman had no time to film the first hit, so he started filming the smoke. And then we hear the second terrible whistle. The second shell fell closer to us," explained Olha Kalinovska.
After that, the Russians started shelling the center of Bakhmut indiscriminately.
"People were fleeing, and we filmed everyone running away. Everyone was running to the doorways, we wanted to hide between the houses, but then realized that this is a bad idea, because between the houses you can't hear where the shells are landing. On the road, we can at least see it. That's why we decided to leave. And while we were leaving, there was whistling, and the center itself was being bombed," the journalist said.
She emphasized: the shelling was targeted and massive.
"As the military explained to us, the Russians pick a 'square' and 'take it apart.' That is, the aiming is questionable (what's the point of shelling a road), they just shoot shells en masse. And they don't care whether there are troops or civilians there," added Olha Kalinovska.
As IMI reported, TSN journalist Victoria Streltsova came under Russian fire on September 12 while holding a livestream from Kharkiv.
As IMI reported, in early May, TSN crew (Oleksandr Zahorodny, Ivan Holovach, Vitaliy Ovsyannikov) of the 1+1 TV channel came under cluster bombing in Maryinka, Donetsk oblast, during the filming.
In late May, TSN filming crew came under Russian missile fire near Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast. This happened during a live report by journalist Oleksandr Zahorodny and cameraman Ivan Holovach.
Shelling and seizing TV towers – 1
1. Russian troops attempt to shell a TV tower in Zaporizhzhia
22.09.2022 Russian invaders fired nine missiles at the infrastructure of Zaporizhzhia on the morning of September 22. One of them fell near the TV tower in the city's center. Head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Starukh announced this on his Telegram channel.
Currently, it is known that it is not the TV tower itself, but the area around it that was damaged. However, the TV center where the editorial office of Suspilne Zaporizhzhia is located has been damaged: its windows were blown out. As Natalia Andreyeva, head of Suspilne Zaporizhzhia, told the regional IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia oblast, the TV channel's editorial team is currently working remotely.
According to Oleksandr Starukh, the attempted attack on the TV tower is part of a special information operation which the invaders call a "referendum" and which they plan to hold on September 23. In his opinion, in this way, the occupiers are trying to permanently disable the signal of Ukrainian broadcasters on the territory of Zaporizhzhia oblast.
After the shelling, there were problems with TV broadcasting in the city.
In addition, as reported by Suspilne's corporate website, the premises of Suspilne's Zaporizhzhia branch suffered some damage as a result of a Russian rocket attack on Zaporizhzhia on September 22.
The damage is not severe. The windows, TV broadcasting network objects and cars that were on the TRC's territory were damaged. None of the branch's employees were injured.
Suspilne Zaporizhzhia's administration and National Police officers have recorded the scope of destruction, and a criminal case has been opened.
The broadcast of the Pershy, the regional Suspilne Zaporizhzhia, and the Ukrainian Radio channels was not interrupted. The Suspilne Kultura TV channel was unavailable on September 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:05 p.m., Radio Kultura and Radio Promin – from 8:30 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.
Disabling Ukrainian broadcasting and streaming Russian propaganda instead – 2
1. The occupiers launch their propagada TV channel in Mariupol
06.09.2022 The occupation administration of Mariupol launched a new local TV channel Mariupol 24, reports 0629.com.ua.
As the media writes, the work on its launch began back in May. Journalist collaborator Andriy Kior was to become the channel's manager. He was the author of the TV channel's name, which was supposed to be Novy Mariupol. However, the Mariupol people were dismissed from the management as "experts" from Donetsk and St. Petersburg took the creation the channel upon themselves.
On August 4, "St. Petersburg" TV channel's Director General Alexander Malkevich and the head of the "DPR's" "First Republican TV channel" Sergei Pelyanitsyn signed a cooperation agreement. A team of russian journalists arrived in Mariupol and began working on creating the studio, a network, and providing the technical capabilities for broadcasting. The first news releases are already out.
As the media outlet notes, thanks to this, they have learned the names of more collaborator journalists. For instance, they write, is well-known Mariupol sports columnist Oleksandr Kapustyan and journalist Oleksandr Buzuluk have sided with the occupiers.
There is also Ksenia Misyurevych, a student of the Moscow State University's Faculty of Journalism who started working at the TV channel while still studying.
As reported by IMI, Mariupol's collaborator journalists were working on the creation of the occupiers' TV channel Novy Mariupol.
The Mariupol occupation administration's "press center" was headed by local journalist Andriy Kior.
In May, the occupiers started spreading propaganda in Mariupol under the name and logo of the newspaper Priazovsky Rabochy.
2. Occupiers launch propaganda radio in the seized part of Zaporizhzhia oblast
12.09.2022 The occupiers have launched Za!Radio on the FM frequency in the seized part of Zaporizhzhia oblast. This was announced on the propaganda Telegram channel "ZaTV.Novosti Zaporozhskoy oblasti."
The propagandists have made a whole commercial about this. In particular, the video says that the radio currently works in testing mode, and that the technological aspect and the content concept are ready. The radio will broadcast Russian music and hourly news, and the half-hour program "Evening with Vladimir Andronaki" on weekends. This is most likely about Andronaki Vladimir Petrovich, "journalist," "TV journalist," "author and host of Evening Interception program on Radio Krym."
The promotional video also shows a very poorly equipped radio office and the employees' comments. It features Evgeniy Kochubey, the radio's chief sound engineer, who says that "the quality of our equipment meets the global standards." Denis Dorofeyev, a "Za!Radio station employee," a journalist who used to be, among other things, a sports commentator on the Melitopol TV channel, the songwriter for the metal band MegamasS, and a former host of Radio Submarina, also gives a comment. He had started working with the collaborators in the spring. In his comment, he says that the radio's content "will consist of informative broadcasts full of meaning." Za!Radio, whose slogan is "For Motherland! For our home! For the radio!" is being shamelessly called "the best radio in Zaporizhzhia oblast" by the propagandists.
As IMI reported, on August 1, a new propaganda TV channel ZaTV started working in the occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia oblast.
Russian occupied Crimea – 1
1. Crimean blogger Rolan Osmanov fined for a post about Russia's war against Ukraine
14.09.2022 The Russia-controlled Kyiv District Court of Simferopol has fined Crimean Tatar blogger Rolan Osmanov who had shared a Facebook post condemning the murder of civilians and children in Ukraine, Crimean Process and Ukrinform report.
The court found him guilty of committing an administrative offense and fined him 40,000 rubles. Osmanov intends to contest the ruling.
The blogger was charged under Article 20.3.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation").
Osmanov was charged for sharing a post by lawyer Mykola Polozov which condemned the Russian army's attacks on Ukrainian cities.
As IMI reported, on July 13 in the occupied Crimea, the russian security forces detained Crimean Tatar blogger and public activist Rolan Osmanov near the building of the "Supreme Court," where the trial in the case of Nariman Dzhelial was taking place. He was sententced to three days of administrative arrest for allegedly "failing to comply with the legal demands of police officers."
Rolan Osmanov is a Crimean activist and citizen journalist. Previously, he took part in a picket near the Khan's Palace, protesting against its demolishing under the pretense of restoration.
THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH SITUATION FOR WHICH UKRAINE IS RESPONSIBLE
Censorship. Information access
Information access – 5
1. Poltava City Council responds to journalist's request by advising her to look for answers herself
09.09.2022 On September 7, the education department of the Poltava City Council responded to a request from Nadia Kucher, a journalist for online media Fundament, by advising her to search for the requested information herself.
The journalist informed IMI about this.
"In early September, the Poltava city authorities were giving out stationery sets to first-graders. I wrote a request to find out how much money from the city budget had been spent on this. On September 7, I received a reply signed by the head of Poltava City Council's education department, Zhanna Kaploukh. The document informed me that 'the requested information is available on the official platform of the Ukrainian online system for public purchases ProZorro,'" Nadiya said.
IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko emphasizes that such actions constitute a violation on the part of the City Council.
"Part 2 of Art. 22 of the Law on access to public information reads: 'A response from the person managing the information which states that the requester can obtain the information from open sources, or a response which is not relevant to the request's content is considered an unlawful refusal to provide information," commented Roman Holovenko.
The journalist informed the executor of the request about the violation.
"I called Vitaly Blokhi, an employee of the Education Department – his name and phone number were listed as the contanct person in the response to inquiries. I informed him that the response contained signs of unlawful denial of access to public information. They responded by telling me that they would consult with the City Council's lawyer and provide an answer. As of now, I have not received one," the journalist said.
In addition, Nadia Kucher filed a complaint with the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.
As IMI reported, on July 21, Poltava journalists claimed to have faced obstruction from City Council officials, including the press office. The media workers demanded "professional and respectful treatment of the media, namely on the part of the Poltava City Council press office."
The journalists also demanded to hold a round table with the head of Poltava City Council's press office Alina Ryabokon and the deputies. The joint letter was signed by 29 journalists from Poltavska Khvylia, Fundament, Kolo, Poltavshchyna, 0532.ua, Gazeta.ua, freelance journalists, and media columnists.
On July 20, the journalists were not allowed into Poltava City Council's building to attend a meeting with protesters.
20.09.2022 Journalist, BIHUS.Info editor Maksym Opanasenko has been waiting for almost a month for a response from the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus to his information request regarding the use of budget funds for the deputies' work. He reported this on his Facebook page and spoke about this to IMI in more detail.
"I have been waiting 28 working days for an response to a simple request to the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada. To the question 'so, when?' I hear the answer 'when it's ready.' A law-making body cares not at all about the law. To my other request, they replied with a clearly intentionally damaged copies of documents where neither text nor numbers were visible. I asked them, 'wtf,' and they answered, 'Our scanner is buggy, wait for a while: maybe the lad will come and fix it, we will send it to you in 20 days,'" he wrote.
In his comment to IMI Maksym Opanasenko said that he had sent the first such request at the end of July.
"It was one request regarding all the deputies that we were interested in. In response, we received a letter stating that they have information about each deputy separately, but since we are asking for all of them, it requires systematization and collection, which is not provided for by law," the journalist said.
Therefore, in August, he decided to send separate requests for each deputy, and in five days he heard that all his requests had been registered, but since he was asking about many people, the deadline was extended by 20 days.
"I sent it on August 11, and received the reply about the deadline extension on August 15. The 20 working days ended on September 9. From that moment on, we have been calling the VR Office every day, the last time I called them was yesterday (September 19. – Ed.). In response, I heard that 'the work underway, we cannot name the date, but I will receive an answer by e-mail.' The request to invite me to review the requested information – to speed up the process – was declined. Then the consultant just hung up," Maksym Opanasenko said.
Roman Holovenko, a lawyer at the Institute of Mass Information, notes that compiling the data on many deputies is not the collection or creation of new information, if the names of these deputies or their affiliation to a faction or committee are known. "It is also very surprising that the VRU Apparatus has dysfunctional equipment, because usually in bureaucratic institutions, all equipment is registered and has a responsible person assigned to it, who should arrainge the repairs at first sight of significant dysfunctions. Defective equipment is not a reason for delay in satisfying a request under the law on access to information," the lawyer said.
3. Journalists in Kamyanets-Podilsky not allowed to attend a City Council meeting
20.09.2022 In Kamyanets-Podilsky (Khmelnytsky oblast), TRC Kamyanets-Podilsky's filming crew was not allowed to attend a coordination council meeting, which took place in the City Council. This is said in the TV channel's report.
The officials justified the refusal by saying that the meeting had been held behind closed doors, as strategic issues were being discussed during the working group's meeting. The Kamyanets-Podilsky City Council announced this on its website on September 14.
According to the journalists, the issue of holding a closed meeting had not been put to the vote of the working group members.
"The coordination council on preparing the city's economy for work in the autumn-winter period at the Mayor's office. This is not their first meeting, but we have not been to the previous ones, and we decided to attend this one. That commission's members were all just sitting there silent. But when the Mayor came, they immediately started consulting. They consulted for 10 minutes, and then they told us, 'sorry, we must ask you to leave, we will tell you all the information later at the briefing, because now we are going to mention the addresses of some strategic objects, and these can not be made public,'" journalist Inna Doroha told the IMI representative in Khmelnytsky oblast, Alyona Bereza.
As can be seen from the report, Iryna Shelepnytska, deputy and head of the Information, Communication with Authorities and Civil Society Institutions Department of the Kamyanets-Podilsky City Council, was the one who had passed this information to the journalists.
"Mass media representatives, please leave the hall, because strategic addresses are going to be mentioned here. A briefing will be held at the end of this meeting. We will inform you and invite you there," said Iryna Shelepnytska.
For three days, the IMI representative has tried to get a comment from deputy Iryna Shelepnytska regarding the access denial for the journalists. However, the deputy asked her to call again later, saying that she was busy. During the last attempt to get a comment, the deputy hung up. Also, the IMI representative could not get in touch with Mykhailo Positko, the Kamyanets-Podilsky Mayor, for a comment. He did not answer the several phone calls.
However, the City Council kept its word and held a briefing for local journalists the next time. On its official website, the City Council wrote down the main points from this briefing.
"To hold a closed meeting of a collegial subject of power, a separate decision is indeed required, and this should be determined by the body's regulation or another similar document. By the way, there was no reason for them not to discuss only the issues that dealt with strategic objects in private. Another thing is that it is not entirely clear what kind of coordination council this is and how formalized this body is," IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko commented on the current legislation's norms regarding the meetings of collegial bodies.
As the IMI representative points out, local journalists also complain of the City Council's practices, as since the beginning of the war it stopped livestreaming the City Council sessions online and does not post the recordings of such livestreams, although the Council's current regulation provides for this. The journalists are willing to agree with the first point due to the war, but they don't understand why the recordings of the livestreams are not made public after a few days.
The IMI representative could get no explanation from the officials of the Kamyanets-Podilsky City Council on this issue as well.
"The Ukrainian legislation on local self-government includes the obligation to broadcast the council meetings only if these meetings are remote (Clause 5, Clause 11-1 of the Final and Transitional Provisions), that is, when deputies do not meet in the hall, but communicate via the Internet. Therefore, when the meeting is held in person, the absence of a livestream will only be a violation if such a livestream is deemed mandatory by the Council's regulation or another such document. Otherwise, it is a kind of a gray area in which the legislators have not yet obliged local councils to broadcast their sessions," IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko commented on the necessity to broadcast the meetings of local councils.
4. "A state secret matter:" trial in Trukhin's case partially closed off for journalists
29.09.2022 Lawyers of People's Deputy Oleksandr Trukhin requested that a part of the court session is held without journalists or audience, claiming that a state secret matter or classified information will be discussed there. This was reported by the Anti-Corruption Center.
"Namely, the deputy's actions after February 24. Judge Bitsyuk granted this part of the request," the report says.
IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko considers the fact that the court classified only a part of the meeting and not the whole session to be a progress.
"The court may make a decision to conduct criminal proceedings in a closed court session during the entire court trial or a separate part thereof only in the case: ... if the proceedings in an open court session may lead to the disclosure of a secret protected by law (Clause 4 Part 2 of Article 27 of the CPC). The fact that only a part of the meeting, not the entirety of it, has been classified, is a progress," said the lawyer.
Roman Holovenko added that local councils often close their meetings. However, the law on local self-government does not mention the possibility of closing the meeting partially, as opposed to the CPC.
Therefore, taking into account the current restrictions on access to information and transparency under the pretext of war, Roman Holovenko believes that the court's decision looks legit.
As reported by IMI, on September 20, the High Anti-Corruption Court assigned People's Deputy Oleksandr Trukhin, who is suspected of trying to bribe police officers, with a bail in the amount of UAH 49,620.
On February 1, 2022, Ukrainska Pravda published a video in which People's Deputy from Servant of the People Oleksandr Trukhin tries to bribe police officers after a being involved in a car accident on August 23, 2021. The Audi car in which Trukhin was traveling failed to maintain a safe distance on the Boryspil highway at the entrance to Kyiv and smashed into a Ford, which in turn rammed a Daewoo car. The accident resulted in six people injured.
In the video, Trukhin addresses the policeman with the words, "let me go off into the forest quietly," and then promises to "talk" with the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Denys Monastyrsky. He also claimed that he had not been driving the car that was involved in the accident. The People's Deputy turned to the law enforcement officer and promised to "see him" later and "thank" him.
The SBI claimed that the investigation did not have the video of the car accident involving People's Deputy Oleksandr Trukhin, published by Ukrainska Pravda on February 1, at their disposal.
Law enforcement officers opened a criminal case regarding the attempt to bribe to a police officer at the site of an accident by People's Deputy Oleksandr Trukhin.
On September 7, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office notified Trukhin of suspicion for attempted bribery of police officers.
5. Kremenchuk journalists complain about not being allowed to a City Council session
29.09.2022 On September 29 in Kremenchuk (Poltava oblast), journalists from Kremenchutska Hazeta and Prohrama Plus were not allowed to attend a City Council session.
Journalist Oleh Bulashev informed the IMI representative in Poltava oblast about this, and the media outlets also reported the refusal on their websites.
As reported on the Prohrama Plus and Kremenchutska Hazeta websites, only representatives of the communal TV channel KTRC were present at the Kremenchuk City Council session. As Larysa Horyslavets, a member of the Kremenchuk City Council who was an active journalist before becoming a deputy and is currently working on openness and transparency within the government, told IMI's Poltava representative, each session begins with an announcement that the restrictions are solely there for national defense and security purposes. According to the deputy, you need a special pass to enter the City Hall.
Representative of the Kremenchuk City Council press service, Yulia Perepelyatnyk, did not respond to Poltava IMI representative's request to comment on the situation.
At the session, the deputies passed a decision to award the title of "Honorary Citizen of Kremenchuk City" to pilot, Hero of Ukraine Andriy Herus. Vasyl Kravchenko, head of the "Atlanta" Farm, member of the Kremenchuk City Employers' Organization, has been awarded a badge of honor "For Service to the City." Other planned issues were also considered.
The lawyer of the Institute of Mass Information sees signs of discrimination in such an approach and notes that all media are equal before subjects of power regardless of the publication's form of ownership, and that the meeting could have been filmed by the apparatus staff, after which it would have been reasonable to post the recording on the Internet for general information.
Freedom of speech protection
The authorities' response to freedom of speech violations – 2
1. Rivne court arrests the man suspected of making death threats to journalist Inna Biletska
09.09.2022 The man suspected of making death threats to journalist Inna Biletska has been detained and arrested in Rivne.
As reported by the Communication Department of the Rivne Oblast Police, on September 8, the City Court granted the investigator's request and ordered the 30-year-old suspect for the crime under part 1 of Article 345-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine to be held in custody without determining the bail sum.
The man had been detained the day before near the house where he lives.
The police reminded that the suspect, who had been placed under house arrest for crimes related to illegal drug trafficking, caused a car accident while driving a Skoda Oktavia drunk. A journalist of one of the TRCs was collecting material for further media coverage of this fact. Instead of giving a comment, the man threatened the woman and her family with violence and death, indicating the method that would be used to commit said violence.
Police investigators collected the evidence and, based on the results of an array of examinations, notified the Rivne resident of suspicion for threats of violence against a journalist with relation to her legal professional activities.
Currently, the suspect is not giving any testimony. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The maximum punishment stipulated by the article's sanction is up to 3 years behind bars.
As reported by IMI, on August 11, 2018, in Rivne, Andriy Buzynarsky, son of politician Viktor Medvedchuk's associate, threatened TRC UA:Rivne journalist and producer Inna Biletska, who was filming a car accident, with physical violence. Buzynarsky Jr. had caused the accident. He told the journalist the following: "You will be a corpse at best, an invalid at worst. You have any children?"
Due to the threat to the journalist, the police has added the information into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations under Part 1 of Article 345-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Threat or violence against a journalist").
You can read more about the authorities' investigation into the case here.
2. Court fines Metzher and his colleagues for attacking Skhemy journalists
14.09.2022 The Holosiivsky District Court of Kyiv imposed a fine on three Ukreximbank employees accused of attacking Skhemy journalists Kyrylo Ovsyany and Oleksandr Mazur.
The court passed such a decision on September 14, Radio Liberty reports.
The court found guilty and fined the former Ukreximbank board chairman Yevhen Metzher, ex-head of the institution's banking security department Ihor Telbizov, and head of the internal security department Oleh Osipov.
Court judge Mykola Didyk read out the verdict, according to which Yevhen Metzher was found guilty under Part 1 and Part 3 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code ("Illegal seizure of materials collected by a journalist and their technical equipment, obstruction of the journalist's work committed by an official abusing their official position") and assigned the punishment in the form of a UAH 3,400 fine (200 tax-free minimum incomes) without deprivation of the right to hold certain positions.
The court found Ihor Telbizov and Oleh Osipov guilty of Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 171 and Part 1 of Article 126 (“Beating and assault”). The court fined them UAH 1,700 each.
In his comment to Radio Liberty, Metzher said with regards to the ruling: "A ruling is a ruling, a court is a court. We accept it as it is. I may agree, I may disagree. I will talk to my lawyers, we will study the verdict, we will study all the arguments, and we will decide whether to file (an appeal – Ed.) or not."
When asked about his intentions to hold government positions in the future, Metzher replied, "If there is such an opportunity, if I have such a wish, if I am needed by the state – yes, I will. If I am not needed, then I won't. But I believe that I have enough skills that the state may yet need."
Telbizov responded to Radio Svoboda's question about the court verdict as follows: "There is a court, there is a decision. This is not an entertainment club where someone can be satisfied or not. I do not argue with the court's decision, I am a citizen of this country. And today there are much more important things here than discussing who is happy with what. From the moment we exit the system we work, serve, keep going. Therefore, what happened here today is but the little things of life."
It was the state accusers (prosecutors) that requested this specific punishment – a fine without deprivation of the right to hold positions.
Commenting on the decision, the journalists' attorney Anatoliy Popov noted that the court "effectively handed down a sentence within the limits of what the prosecutor's office had requested."
"The fine is what the prosecutor's office requested. We will discuss the need to file an appeal on our behalf when we get acquainted with the full text of the court ruling," stressed the victims' defender.
He added, "We asked why the prosecutor's office had not requested suspension from holding certain positions as the punishment. We were informed that this had been agreed with the management of the prosecutor's office. I want to note that we are not very satisfied with the actions of the prosecutor's office in this criminal case. Because somewhere since late October it had been obvious that the prosecutor's office was not interested in a normal investigation. We learned about it on November 10, 2021, when we got acquainted with the case materials. Later, we learned that the Article 146 of the Criminal Code – illegal deprivation of freedom – had been cancelled. We had to renew it through the court."
The victims appeal against the groundless, in their opinion, closing of the criminal proceedings under the most serious Article 146 ("Illegal deprivation of freedom or abduction of a person"), which provides for restriction of freedom for a term of up to three years or imprisonment for the same term.
The prosecutor of the Holosiiv District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv, Yevhenia Lytvynchuk, refused to provide journalists with a comment in the courtroom.
Volodymyr Pikalov, head of Ukreximbank's information policy department, is also accused in the case, but he has been drafted into the army. The court will make the decision regarding him later.
As IMI reported, on October 4, 2021, in Kyiv, employees of the state-owned Ukreximbank attacked Skhemy filming crew during the recording of an interview with the financial institution's board chairman Yevhen Metzher right in his office. Being asked about a loan to structures related to the "DPR," Metzher ordered to take away the journalists' cameras, destroy the video recordings of the interview, and prohibit further filming. In addition, the journalists were illegally detained in the office premises, not being allowed to leave it. Ihor Telbizov applied force against the journalists.
There are four defendants in the case – Ukreximbank's former board chairman Yevhen Metzher, ex-head of the bank's information policy department Volodymyr Pikalov, ex-head of the institution's banking security department Ihor Telbizov, and head of the internal security department Oleh Osipov. They pleaded not guilty.
The actions of the former board chairman of the bank Yevhen Metzger and his press secretary have been qualified under Article 171 of the Criminal Code ("Illegal seizure of materials collected by a journalist and their and technical equipment, obstruction of the work of a journalist committed by an official abusing their official position").
The actions of Ihor Telbizov and Oleh Osipov have been classified under two criminal articles – the same Article 171 and Article 121 ("Deliberate violent actions that caused physical pain and did not cause bodily harm").
The journalist community's response – 5
02.09.2022 Media Movement – a union of Ukrainian media, journalists, and CSOs – calls on the world's journalistic organizations and national media associations to condemn russian propagandists, as did the Polish Journalists Association.
This is stated in the Media Movement's address, published by Detector Media.
Media Movement reminded that on August 24, 2022, the Polish Journalists Association published a resolute statement regarding russian propagandists, who should face responsibility as war criminals. The Polish journalists said that kremlin propagandists should be held accountable to the same extent as the russian military for their calls for murdering Ukrainians, for justifying the russian army's war crimes, and for misinforming the russian people and the global community.
"russian propagandists posing as journalists, such as Margarita Simonyan, Vladimir Solovyov, Dmitriy Kiselyov, Olga Skabeeva, and many others, should be tried as war criminals after the fall of putin's regime," our Polish colleagues said in their statement.
Media Movement calls on the world's journalistic organizations and national media associations to support the Polish Journalists Association's stance and "to stand as a united front to seek just punishment for all those whose efforts keep the kremlin's propaganda machine running at full capacity and lead to hundreds of innocent victims and destruction every day."
2. Ukrainian media community calls to bring russian propagandists to justice
07.09.2022 Representatives of the Ukrainian media community call on the global community to bring to justice not only servicemen of the russian occupier army, but also the so-called "journalists" who are in fact mouthpieces of kremlin propaganda.
This is said in the media organizations' statement.
The authors of the statement note that the responsibility for the barbaric crimes committed by the russian invaders on the territory of independent Ukraine lies not only on the immediate perpetrators, but also on the propagandists who are winding a spiral of hatred for the entire Ukrainian people.
"Olga Skabeeva, Vladimir Solovyov, Dmitry Kiselyov, Margarita Simonyan are just the iceberg's tip when it comes to the flock of liars and raiders pretending to be journalists. Behind them are hundreds, if not thousands, of workers of today's Goebbelsian machine. Inciting international enmity, fraud, lies, misinformation and justifying the murder of tens of thousands of innocent people cannot be considered journalism, and the state centers of russian propaganda will never become mass media. Every russian propagandist who has contributed to the creation of this factory of evil must duly bear full responsibility at an international tribunal," the statement reads.
Media organizations pointed out that this year's Congress of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Oman recognized that "most of the 'russian media' incite hysteria and enmity," and the Congress of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) noted that among "those responsible for inciting war... are journalists, managers, employees of the federal and local mass media, who deliberately worked and are working to strengthen the dictatorial regime, violating all professional standards."
"We call on the world's journalistic organizations and national media associations of various countries to put consistent pressure on state governments and international institutions in order to recognize all representatives of the kremlin's machine of lies as guilty of genocide of the Ukrainian people and of crimes against the peace and security of mankind.
"Today, the global journalistic community is faced with a dramatic choice – to withstand the onslaught of propaganda and preserve the profession, the trust of its audience or... to keep allowing propagandists to call themselves journalists and mock journalistic standards," the statement reads.
The statement was signed by: Natalia Lihachova, Detector Media; Oksana Romaniuk, Institute of Mass Information; Oleksiy Pohorelov, Commission on Journalistic Ethics; Serhiy Tomilenko, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine; Serhiy Shturkhetsky, Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine.
As IMI reported, on September 2, the Media Movement – a union of Ukrainian media, journalists, and CSOs – called on the world's journalistic organizations and national media associations to condemn russian propagandists, as did the Polish Journalists Association.
On August 24, the Polish Journalists Association called to try russian propagandists who are "inciting a spiral of hatred against the attack victim Ukraine" as war criminals.
13.09.2022 The Ukrainian media community calls on the European Commission and the Euronews management to respond to the war-related manipulations on the air of the Russian language version of the Euronews TV channel.
An according open letter has been submitted to the Euronews head office in Lyon, investment company Alpac Capital, which had recently bought the controlling stake in the Euronews television company and declared the need to strengthen the Euronews' "European identity," and to the European Commission, which subsidizes the broadcaster, reports Detector Media.
Ukraine's leading media groups – 1+1 media and StarLight Media, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, the Media Movement, NGO Detector Media, the Institute of Mass Information, other organizations and media – have joined forces and request:
- to pay attention to the content of the Russian language version of Euronews, to involve propaganda and disinformation experts in the analysis of this content, and to make appropriate operational, staff and strategic decisions. Namely, the open letter refers to the analysis of the content published on the Russian-language Euronews in five days (Monday–Friday, 15.08–19.08). The signatories have concluded that the channel engages in massive daily media manipulation on the topic of war. This manipulation is being carried out not through outright fakes, but through targeted yet systematic, and therefore effective, influence on the audience. The pro-Russian understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships of what is happening in Ukraine, of Russia's role in these processes, the parties' responsibility in the war, etc is being subliminally imposed on the viewers. The content with manipulative elements is on the air every day and is "scattered" among more or less "unbiased and equidistant" materials;
- Euronews TV channel has a wide coverage of 400 million households in 160 countries of the world, 68% of those households being concentrated in Europe; Euronews' monthly outreach exceeds 145 million people. Accordingly, it is unacceptable that a key European news broadcaster, or even a version of it in one language, presents facts in a dubious way, especially when it comes to the war in Ukraine. This is a responsibility that costs thousands of Ukrainians their lives.
"Now is the time for as many people as possible in the world to learn more about Ukraine, its history, its European identity, its shared values and role in the modern world. We count on your support and believe in the bright future of Ukraine, on which the future of the whole world directly depends," the open letter says.
At the same time, the authors of the letter call on all concerned journalists, public organization representatives, and the media community from around the world to join the signatories of the open letter. You can do so by sending a request to [email protected].
The open letter was supported by: Olha Herasymiuk, Head of National Television and Radio broadcasting Council of Ukraine; Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy; Yaroslav Pakholchuk, CEO of 1+1 Media; Oleksandr Bohutskyi, CEO of Starlight Media; Mykola Chernotytsky, Head of the Managing Board of Suspilne Ukraine; Vadym Perenchuk, Head of the TV channel "Rada;" MediaMovement; Natalia Lygachova, Detector Media; Oksana Romaniuk, Institute of Mass Information; Tetyana Troshchynska, Editor-in-Chief, Hromadske Radio; Kostiantyn Kvurt, NGO “Internews-Ukraine;” Andrii Ianitskyi, Centre for Journalism at the Kyiv School of Economics; Dmytro Tuzov, host on “Radio NV;” Yevhen Spirin, "Babel;" Taras Petriv, SOUSPILNIST FOUNDATION.
It will be recalled that in July 2022, the Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital completed the buyout of the controlling stake in the Euronews television company, having received the French government's approval of the deal.
On June 15, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting appealed to the Euronews management with a request to reconsider their stance on Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The NCTRB noted that the content of the Russian language edition of the broadcaster "contains deviations from journalistic standards and promotes Kremlin narratives."
4. Media community calls for identifying and punishing murderers of journalists
16.09.2022 Ukrainian journalists and media organizations call on the authorities to identify and punish murderers of journalists.
This is said in the statement released on the Remembrance Day for Murdered Journalists.
Here is the full statement:
On September 16, 2000, a group of law enforcement officers abducted journalist and Ukrainska Pravda founder Heorhiy Gongadze. His mutilated, decapitated body was found in November of the same year in a forest in Kyiv oblast.
Today marks 22 years since these terrible events. During this time, thanks to the relentless efforts of the Gongadze family, the journalistic community, and international organizations, partial justice has been achieved. All perpetrators of the crime were punished. However, the person who ordered the murder of Heorhiy Gongadze has not been officially named.
Unfortunately, Gongadze's death is one of the most high-profile, but not the only case of a Ukrainian journalist being murdered. On July 20, 2016, journalist Pavlo Sheremet was killed in Kyiv. The investigation into those who ordered Pavlo Sheremet's murder is still ongoing.
On May 4, 2019, journalist Vadym Komarov was brutally beaten in Cherkasy. The man died after 46 days in a coma. The case still remains unsolved; the perpetrators and employers remain unpunished.
We demand that the authorities:
- identify and punish those who ordered the murder of Heorhiy Gongadze, namely providing a clear answer regarding the involvement of former president Leonid Kuchma in the assassination;
- identify and punish those who ordered and committed the murder of Pavlo Sheremet and speed up the investigation into the masterminds and perpetrators of the murders of journalists who have not yet been officially identified;
- increase the efficiency of investigation of criminal offenses against Ukrainian journalists, provide journalists with effective protection and sufficient safety.
Today we also remember 38 of our fellow journalists who were killed by Russian troops in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion this year. Of them, eight journalists were killed while carrying out their professional duties.
We call on the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate all these murders, which constitute war crimes on the part of the Russian Federation, and to ensure justice not only at the level of Ukrainian law, but also to make every effort to bring Russian criminals to the bench of an international tribunal.
Ukraine is fighting for its independence. Ukrainians are paying with their lives every day for our society to live in a democratic state ruled by law.
After the victory, Ukraine will rebuild, and it is fundamentally important that all the murderers of our heroes – soldiers, journalists, activists – face their punishment.
Impunity kills.
The statement was signed by: Media Movement, Detector Media, Institute of Mass Information.
5. Traitors can not be honoured: a call on Zelensky to cancel the Honoured Journalist of Ukraine title
21.09.2022 Ukrainian journalists and human rights organizations call on the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to revoke the state awards of the journalists who have betrayed Ukraine and have been working in Russia's media propaganda army for years, and to take away the title "Honored Journalist of Ukraine" from them.
Namely, we mean revoking the Honored Journalist of Ukraine title of:
Rodion Miroshnyk, former press secretary of Viktor Yanukovych, ex-deputy of the Luhansk Regional Council from the Party of Regions, former director of the Luhansk Regional State Television and Radio Company.
Volodymyr Bezrodny, former First Deputy Head of the Press and Information Department of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, former NUJU member. In 2015, Donetsk regional branch of the NUJU expelled him from its ranks because of his cooperation with the DPR militants.
Leonard Svidovsky, former deputy of the Luhansk Regional Council from the Party of Regions. Has been working for the seized Luhansk Regional Television and Radio Company, which the occupiers renamed LPR STRC, since the occupation of Luhansk. Has expressed support for the aggressor after Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also spreads content that discredits the Ukrainian authorities and the Armed Forces of Ukraine on his social media.
These people having such a title diminishes the significance of this award, effectively equating real journalists who are defending Ukraine's independence at the cost of their lives, and persons who have discredited journalism as a profession and are serving in the interest of the Kremlin regime and at its bidding.
They received this title back in 2008 and 2010. However, despite being given it, with the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014 they sided with the aggressor country and none of them refused the title.
We remind that back in 2017, the prosecutor's office of Luhansk oblast declared Rodion Miroshnyk wanted. He is charged under Part 1 of Art. 109 ("Deliberate actions aimed at aiding the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and seizing state power"), Part 2 of Art. 110 ("Deliberate actions aimed at changing the outline of the territory and the state border of Ukraine in violation of the order established by the Constitution of Ukraine") and Part 1 of Art. 258-3 ("Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization") of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In 2020, it was precisely because of Rodion Miroshnyk's appearance on the air that the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting assigned an inspection and issued a warning to the Nash TV channel.
In mid-April 2022, Miroshnyk recorded a video from the front line, from the LPR fighters' positions, where he called on the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms while holding a shell in hand.
After Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine issued a suspicion notice to Leonard Svidovsky under Part 6 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (cooperating with the aggressor state and its occupying administration to conduct media activities aimed at supporting the aggressor state, its occupying administration, or armed formations, and/or it avoiding responsibility for its armed aggression against Ukraine).
The danger of having such a title is that Russian propagandists are exploiting these titles when they present themselves as Honored Journalists of Ukraine. These information war units are being employed for the Russian audience under the guise of "Honored Journalists of Ukraine" and aim at distorting the perception of real events.
It should be noted that none of them have renounced this title on their own, on the contrary, some even emphasize belonging to the Ukrainian community and indicate the title among other regalia. For example, Russian resource news-front.info presents Volodymyr Bezrodny as an Honored Journalist of Ukraine, a Ukrainian associate professor of the Department of Journalism.
We call to cease the practice of awarding the title "Honored Journalist of Ukraine" and to initiate appropriate changes to the legislation.
We remind you that over a year ago, on June 2, 2021, the Council for Freedom of Speech and Protection of Journalists under the President of Ukraine recommended the head of state to cease giving the title "Honored Journalist of Ukraine," as well as to initiate relevant changes to the Law "On State Awards of Ukraine."
The Council's initiative was supported by several media and human rights organizations on June 3. "By awarding journalists with such a title, even with the purest intentions in mind, the state undermines the independence of the media and the trust in journalism as such. After all, at the end of the day, it is the target of criticism trying to flatter the critic. We are convinced that the highest reward from the state is not an award, but open and accessible information, transparency and accountability of the authorities, and above all – safety and protection of journalists, quick and professional investigation of crimes, and fair punishment of the perpetrators," said the civil society representatives.
The statement was signed by: Media Movement, Institute of Mass Information, CSO Detector Media, CSO Svidomi.Media, Souspilnist Foundation.
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