Media Union threatens journalist revolt

The Kyiv Independent Media Trade Union [KIMTU] has expressed concern over a number of cases of rough treatment of journalists by the authorities.

“The attempt by the SBU [State Security Service] to place the television channel TVi under its control, the detaining of a group of journalists during a press conference in “Ukrainian House”; the boorish behaviour from a city official to journalists from the television channel STB are just some examples. They give some idea of the atmosphere being established in Ukraine. If the new regime does not give an adequate assessment of the violations of the law, they risk causing a storm”, the Union’s press release states.

The head of KIMTU, Yury Lukanov believes that a return to previous principles, or more accurately, lack of principles in relations with the media will cause new disturbances within the journalist milieu. He points out that violations of journalists’ rights during Kuchma’s days cause wide-scale journalist protest and led to the defeat of that regime during the 2004 presidential elections.