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The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.
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Enemies of the Press in 2007

06.05.2008   
The Institute for Mass Information and the Kyiv Independent Media Trade Union have announced their anti-awards for “Enemies of the Press» 2007. They include the Mayors of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv.

The Institute for Mass Information and the Kyiv Independent Media Trade Union have announced their anti-awards for “Enemies of the Press» 2007.

The monitoring of violations of journalists’ rights was carried out by 50 independent experts and leading journalists.  It is interesting that three of those named are already, so to speak, “laureates”.

  1. Leonid Chernovetsky, Mayor of Kyiv, and candidate in the early elections later this month, was last week named one of 15 public officials and judges who, in the view of the National Union of Journalist of Ukraine are strangling freedom of speech in Ukraine. The reasons on this occasion are similar. Chernovetsky is accused of exerting pressure on journalists of municipal media outlets and turning them into the mouthpiece for the city authorities. The newspaper “Evening Kyiv” reported pressure and cases of censorship.  Evidence of the latter was seen with the newspaper “Khreschatyk” and the TV and radio company “Kyiv”
  2. Volodymyr Kovalenko; Mayor of Nova Kakhovka (Kherson region). Journalists who criticize the Mayor’s actions have been subjected to threats and pressure.
  3. Valentin Rybachuk; Mayor of Slovyansk (Donetsk region) – He brought a compensation claim for 100 thousand UAH against a television company and journalist for a critical feature.  He won the case in the first instance court, but it was thrown out at appeal level

The reasons are all fairly similar and show a disturbing lack of respect for journalist independence and pluralism

  1. Mykhailo Dobkin, Mayor of Kharkiv
  2. Andriy Sadovy, Mayor of Lviv
  3. Anton Yatsenko, National Deputy (BYuT faction)
  4. Oleksandr Moroz, Former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and leader of the Socialist Party
  5. Valery Kolomoitsev, Mayor of Ladzhykin
  6. Viktor Subotin, Acting Head of the company Turboatom
  7. Myroslav Semaniv, Deputy of the Rivne Regional Council

Last year’s less than proud (we hope!) recipients of the anti-award were Leonid Chernovetsky and Oleh Kalashnikov, National Deputy for the Party of the Regions in 2006 when he assaulted a TV STB camera crew.

 

Based on information published at www.telekritika.kiev.ua

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