Ukrainian media organisations and the Media Movement strongly condemn the Russian court ruling sentencing journalist, Institute of Mass Information expert Iryna Zemlyana in absentia to 13 years in prison. In a joint statement, they called on Ukraine and international partners to intervene in her persecution by Russia.
The organisations view this court ruling as an act of politically motivated persecution “for her professional work, outspoken stance, and telling the truth about Russia’s crimes.”
They express alarm that Russia may try and use international search mechanisms to persecute Iryna Zemlyana beyond its jurisdiction.
“Such actions pose a threat not just to her personally, but also to all Ukrainian journalists and media professionals documenting war crimes, exposing the aggressor, and publically calling things by their names,” the statement reads.
The organisations call on the Ukrainian authorities, international human rights and journalist organisations “to clearly and publically assess this ruling as an act of political persecution that concerns freedom of speech and journalism.”
Moreover, they urged to to take all possible steps to prevent the use of international legal mechanisms to put pressure on Iryna Zemlyana.
Read the background for Iryna Zemlyana’a persecution by Russia and the court ruling against her here.
The Institute of Mass Information shares the statement in full:
STATEMENT
Ukraine’s media organisations, civil society organisations, and the Media Movement strongly condemn the Russian court ruling sentencing journalist, Institute of Mass Information expert Iryna Zemlyana in absentia to 13 years in prison and “banning” her from website and social media administration work for four years.
We see this ruling as an act of politically motivated persecution for her professional work, outspoken stance, and telling the truth about Russia’s crimes. It is especially telling that Russia’s charges against her included “incitement to hatred” and “promoting fakes” about the Russian army, seeing as these Criminal Code articles have been consistently used by Russian authorities to enforce censorship, crack down on freedom of speech, and punish journalists for facts, assessments, and critical reporting.
Part of the charges against Iryna Zemlyana concerned an episode that occurred during a symbolic performance at a Warsaw rally on 9 May 2022, which Russia included in the case in an attempt to make political persecution resemble a crime. However, the Polish police investigated the incident in the country where it had taken place, found no corpus delicti in it, and closed the case. This supports the idea that Russia’s prosecution of Iryna Zemlyana has less to do with justice and more with repression by the aggressor state.
It is especially alarming that Russia may try and use international search mechanisms to persecute Iryna Zemlyana beyond its jurisdiction. Such actions pose a threat not just to her personally, but also to all Ukrainian journalists and media professionals documenting war crimes, exposing the aggressor, and publically calling things by their names.
We call on the Ukrainian authorities, international human rights and journalist organisations to clearly and publically assess this ruling as an act of political persecution that concerns freedom of speech and journalism. We also urge them to take all possible steps to prevent the use of international legal mechanisms to put pressure on Iryna Zemlyana.
We stand in solidarity with all Ukrainian journalists working under the pressure of war, repression, and transnational threats. Persecution for reporting, testifying, calling the spade a spade can not be normal in a world that considers itself democratic.
The Media Movement
NGO Institute of Mass Information
NGO Women in Media
NGO Digital Security Lab
NGO Detector Media
NGO Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communications
Fact-checking project NotaYenota
Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracy
Souspilnist Foundation
NGO Human Rights Platform
NGO Internews Ukraine
NGO Institute of Regional Press Development
Infohygiene initiative How Not to Turn Braindead
NGO Centre for Democracy and the Rule of Law
For reference. The Media Movement is a community that has united journalists with leading Ukrainian media outlets, investigative journalists, and experts with independent media organisations. The Media Movement was launched on 5 February 2019.
The Media Movement Memorandum was first signed by Suspilne, Ukrainske Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform, Interfax-Ukraine, Liga.net, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia Ukraine, NV, Censor.net, Channel 5, Ukrainskyi Tyzhden, Opinion, multiple regional news outlets, the Independent Media Council, the NGOs Insistute of Mass Informaion, Detector Media, Internews Ukraine, Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law, Souspilnist Foundation, National Media Association, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute of Democracy, Zmina Centre for Human Rights.
Other organizations and journalsits joined later – over 70 members in total. On 16 November 2021, top media outlets called on journalists to unite within the professional community Media Movement to resist political and commercial pressure on freedom of speech. The statement was initiated by 29 journalists and experts whose names are available here.
