In Chernivtsi, local media outlets are being sued

On July 15, in Chernivtsi the first court hearing will be held in the case of the lawsuit from the representative of the local public association «Maidan» and head of the Public Council under the УСБУ , in Chernivetska oblast Volodymyr Vakariuk against three local online media outlets – Chas, BukInfo, and BukNews. Volodymyr Vakariuk demands a compensation for moral damage in the amount of 1 million hryvnias. He is outraged by the comments made by the vice-head of the local Community Defence Ivan Molodyi published by the local media outlets and demands them refuted.

Editors of these media outlets believe this lawsuit is not about proving his point but about ruining the media outlets and cracking down on freedom of speech. They also point out that recently there have been several lawsuits against local press.