Reanimation package of reforms > News > Statements > The RPR Coalition joins the statement of Ukrainian media coalition about “targeting” of journalists critical of authorities
Journalists and media, members of the Mediarukh (Media Movement), call on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to strongly condemn the campaign of pressure on independent journalists and investigators and to take control of the investigation of crimes against media professionals.
Anonymous telegram channels that publicly declare that they work for the government and constantly defend it, and trash sites are already systematically harassing independent media and investigative journalists, arranging provocations in real life. Unknown aggressors are trying to portray Ukrainian journalists as “enemies of the people,” Russian agents, drug addicts, and discredit their professional work.
Over the past few days, we have witnessed attacks on Yuriy Nikolov, a journalist with the Nashi Groshi project, and on Bihus.Info, and before that on Detector Media, Ukrayinska Pravda, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, NV, Censor, Babel, Liga.net, and Espreso. In addition to provocations and attempts to discredit them, there is surveillance, wiretapping, and violations of journalists’ right to privacy, all aimed at putting pressure on independent media.
All these actions are crimes that require a prompt response from law enforcement agencies. And they all harm the future of Ukraine as a democratic state.
We call on law enforcement agencies to take into account the seriousness of the situation and promptly identify and bring to justice the people involved in organizing these persecutions and attacks on journalists.
It is in the interest of the state leadership to protect freedom of speech and stop provocations against journalists, as anonymous telegram channels, probably involved in organizing these provocations, directly call them revenge for criticizing the authorities, in particular the president.
We also call on our international partners to stand up for the persecuted journalists, as only public scrutiny guarantees the firm adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and the effective fight against corruption that your countries profess and that Ukraine is striving to implement.
We are addressing civil society: for more than 30 years of modern Ukraine’s independence, we have been fighting for democratic values, including freedom of speech. If Ukraine abandons these values, the society will lose understanding: are we indeed fighting in this terrible war for a country that is on the way to a European future? Independent media and the right to criticize, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine, are one of the main drivers of democracy. Together, we must continue to defend what we took to the Maidan for, what we resisted and are resisting the Russian aggression that seeks to return us to the authoritarian past.
Only through the joint efforts of society and the state can we overcome the threats to our statehood and freedom. We will not allow those who try to intimidate independent Ukrainian media to destroy our unity! It is the key to our victory.
For reference: Mediarukh is a community that brings together journalists from leading Ukrainian media, investigative journalists and experts from media NGOs. Media Movement was launched on February 5, 2019. The first signatories of the Mediarukh memorandum were the First Channel of the Public Broadcasting Company, Ukrainian Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform news agency, Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Liga.net, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Ukraine”, NV, “Censor.net”, Channel 5, “Ukrayinskyi Shlyakh”, Opinion, a number of regional media, NGOs Independent Media Council, Detector Media, Institute of Mass Information, Internews Ukraine, Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, Suspilnist Foundation, National Association of Media, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, Zmina Human Rights Center. Later, other organizations and individual journalists joined – more than 70 participants in total. On November 16, 2021, representatives of leading media outlets called on journalists to unite in the professional community Mediarukh to counter political and commercial pressure on freedom of speech. The statement was initiated by 29 journalists and experts, their names are available here.
The statement is open for signature. Please send letters with the subject line “Signature to the statement” to: info@detector.media
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