Monitoring "What is happening to freedom of speech in Ukraine. State censorship and crackdown on dissent" In Ukraine, people are judged for dissent. You can get acquainted with the situation with freedom of speech in Ukraine, state censorship and crackdown on dissent, which was prepared by a human rights group "Uspishna Varta".

2. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH SITUATION IN UKRAINE
Over the past 3 years incidents of putting pressure
on the media, as well as journalists from government
agencies and paramilitary groups are recorded in
Ukraine.
Over the period of 2017, such channels as ZIK,
Inter, News One and 112 Ukraine faced with similar
pressures.
In addition, the National Broadcasting Commission in
gross violation of the statutory regulations denied the
license renewal for broadcasting to the radio “Vesti”
in Kyiv and Kharkiv, the 2 biggest cities. The law-
enforcement agencies made searches in the offices of
“Vesti”,“Strana.UA”and“Ukrainska Pravda”.
According to the Mass Information Institute, it is
recorded:
during 2017
188 incidents of putting pressure
on journalists or editorial offices of
regional mass media.
by May
2017
on average there had been 8-9 similar
cases countrywide
In May
there were already 24 facts of pressure
against journalists
by
September
more than 40 facts had been detected
On September, 28 Andrushivka district court of
Zhytomyr region sentenced the journalists of 17th
channel Dmytro Vasylets and Yevhen Tymonin to
9 years of imprisonment. They were accused of
information aiding and abetting terrorism for the
so-called assistance in creating a YouTube channel
“Novorossiya-TV” during a three-day trip to Donetsk in
July 2014. In the meantime, there is no such wording
as «information” aiding and abetting terrorism in
Ukrainian and international legislation.
OnAugust,2abloggerandjournalistVasylMuravytskyi
was detained by Security Service of Ukraine.
The General Prosecutor’s Office accused him of treason
against the State and inciting ethnic hatred on the
basis of his cooperation with the international news
agency «Russia Today» and the publication of authors’
columns criticizing the Ukrainian authorities. He can be
sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.
In addition, procedural actions against Ruslan Kotsaba,
Oleksandr Bondarchuk and other journalists are being
conducted.
In May 2017 presidential decree 133/2017, which
imposes sanctions against popular social networks
“VKontakte” and “Odnoklassniki” entered into force.
Thus, the government restricted access to information
for millions of Ukrainians.
In parallel, the Ukrainian special services are
persecuting Ukrainians for criticizing the authorities
in social networks. In August the officials of Security
Service of Ukraine detained nine Ukrainians who
criticized the authorities in social networks“VKontakte”
and “Odnoklassniki”. The arrests took place in Kyiv,
Lviv, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, Kharkiv, Chernihiv,
Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.
Altogether during 2014-2017 the Security Service of
Ukraine registered 72 criminal proceedings regarding
“anti-Ukrainian”activityinsocialnetworks.Mostofthem
are connected with criticism of the regime established
after the events in Maidan. Based on the materials of
pre-trial investigations, more than sixty verdicts were
passed.
In the media freedom rating according to Freedom
House, Ukraine was ranked number 111 (partially
free) in 2017. In the freedom of speech rating of the
international organization “Reporters without Borders”
as of 2017, Ukraine is ranked number 102.
The human rights group “Uspishna Varta”
considered the most high-profile cases on
persecution of journalists and bloggers.
This presentation was prepared by the
volunteers of «Uspishna Varta», who visited
the court sessions, communicated with
lawyers and relatives of the suspects. In
addition, information was analyzed from
open sources – registers of judicial decisions
and official websites of government
authorities.
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3. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PERSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
GRAVAMEN:
He is accused of high treason because of conclusion of a standard
employment contract with the international Russian editorial
officeof«InternationalNewsAgency«RussiaToday»,wherehehad
his analytical column. In his analytical materials he criticized the
Ukrainian government. He prepared a journalistic investigation of
a people’s deputy on behalf of Zhytomyr region, who is engaged
in illegal production of amber, the materials of this investigation
disappeared after the searches and detention of the journalist.
The trial has lasted 5 months.
He has been kept without the right of changing the measure of
restraint in Zhytomyr confinement cell since the day of his arrest,
which crudely violates human rights.
In court he is kept in a cage or «aquarium» without the possibility
to sit next to lawyers.
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, the Committee to
Protect Journalists (USA), Reporters without Borders (France),
the Solidarity Network (Switzerland), the Union of Journalists of
Finland came out in support of Muravytskyi.
He is recognized as a political prisoner (Coordination Center for
Freedom of Speech) and a prisoner of conscience (Solidarity
Network). The UN Department of Human Rights investigates this
fact as repressions against journalists.
Interesting facts:
• The materials include a cat
named Pampukh, which is con-
sidered to be an agent of the
Donetsk People’s Republic by
the Security Service of Ukraine;
• The Security Service of Ukraine
detained Muravytskyi in the
hospital, where his son was
born the day before his arrest
Vasyl Muravytskyi (33 years old)
Ukrainian journalist and blogger
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4. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PERSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
GRAVAMEN:
On November 24, 2015 they were detained on charge of
information aiding and abetting terrorism (assistance in creating
a YouTube channel “Novorossiya-TV”) during a three-day trip to
Donetsk in July 2014. The Prosecutor’s Office did not provide
convincing evidence of the journalists’guilt.
Nevertheless, the court delivered a guilty verdict and condemned
the journalists to a nine-year imprisonment. This action is at the
stage of appeal.
Dmytro Vasylets was the author and presenter of the programs
on the 17th channel: “Museum of Information War”, “What
information the media keep on the down low.”He supervised the
project “Media-Lustration”, where he urged journalists to adhere
to standards and not to spark a war, not to call for violence and
discord of the Ukrainian people.
Interesting facts:
• There is no such wording as
“information”aiding and abet-
ting terrorism in Ukrainian and
international legislation.
• According to the official ex-
planation of the prosecutor’s
office – “Luhansk People’s Re-
public” and “Donetsk People’s
Republic” are not terrorist or-
ganizations.
• “Novorossiya-TV” began its
broadcasting three months
after the accused person’s
trip to Donetsk. Prior to this,
no channel (content) existed
and according to the universal
declaration of human rights,
no one is responsible for the
actions of other people.
• “Novorossiya-TV” broadcast-
ing is under way at the mo-
ment, expanding its range
from the Internet to a satellite
channel. The Security Service
of Ukraine did not make any
attempts to close it down.
Dmytro Vasylets (31 years old)
Opposition journalist, presenter,
public figure
Evhen Tymonin (33 years old)
IT specialist
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5. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PERSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
GRAVAMEN:
He was detained by the Security Service of
Ukraine in January 2015 on charge of high
treason, which provides for 10 to 15 years
of imprisonment.
The journalist filmed a video in which he
called to ignore illegal mobilization be-
cause of fratricidal warfare and without
declaration of war. Ruslan was accused
of high treason and a disruption of mo-
bilization. At the same time, the video
was posted only on his social network-
ing page.
He spent a year and a half in the confine-
ment cell, after which he was fully acquit-
ted in the Court of Appeal in the summer
of 2016.
The prosecutor’s office insisted on an ap-
peal of the decision, and the case was re-
ferred for reconsideration to the Court of
Appeal of Ivano-Frankivsk region. In Octo-
ber 2017, due to another self-disqualifica-
tion of the judge, the case was referred to
the Kiev Court of Appeal for consideration.
Judicial proceedings are still under way.
In Kiev, the journalist is pursued by a radical
grouping C14, whose leader previously said
that C14 and other radicals are working
on a tip of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Radicals threaten the journalist, there were
several attempts to beat and humiliate
Ruslan Kotsaba. The police do not react to
these law violations, they do not want to
acknowledge a statement about the crime.
Interesting facts:
• Amnesty Internation-
al recognized Kotsa-
ba as a prisoner of
conscience, the EU
advocated his imme-
diate release. As a
result, the journalist
was acquitted.
• Personal pages in
social networks, vid-
eo channels are not
media and nobody
can be held liable for
the content on these
pages.
Ruslan Kotsaba (51 years old)
Ukrainian opposition journalist
and blogger
Interesting facts:
• In June 2014 there was free access to
Donetsk or Luhansk regions, trains were
running, there were no border points.
• Publication of materials in the media is
a direct responsibility of a journalist or
editor-in-chief.
GRAVAMEN:
He was detained on charge of violation of territorial integrity of
Ukraine in March 2015 for his professional activities – republishing
of Pavlo Hubariev’s interview in June 2014.
In December 2015, after 9 months of spending in the confinement
cell, the measure of restraint – detention in custody – was
discontinued, but the case is not closed. Judicial proceedings
have been under way for already three years.
Oleksandr Bondarchuk
Politician, journalist, chief
editor of the newspape “The Working Class”
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6. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PERSECUTION OF JOURNALISTS
On November 29, 2017 Oleksandr Medynskyi was tracked
down and caught at the filling station, he was pushed into some-
one else’s car and drove into the woods, where he was beaten
with two-liter bottles, half filled with water (to avoid appearance
of bruises), tortured: people who stole the blogger forced him
to dig his own grave, staging the scene of death, crushed ciga-
rettes on his face and hands. Thus they forced him to give false
testimony against another journalist Ruslan Kotsaba, who is a
political undesirable.
Due to these events, Oleksandr Medynskyi was diagnosed with
concussion, damage to internal organs.
Artur Senko filmed video blogs and investigations for the You-
Tube channel UAinside. He is known for investigations into the
murders in Maidan, living conditions in the Crimea, coverage of
the activities of radicals, monitoring of trials of political prisoners
and many others.
In November 2016, the Security Service of Ukraine held an infor-
mal meeting with the blogger and forced him to remove several
videos, which showed the investigation of the murders in Maidan
from the YouTube channel. Then unknown people beat the blog-
ger. He left for the United States, where he learned about the
criminal case against him on suspicion of aiding terrorism.
He has to apply for political asylum for himself and his family in
the United States, where he is living at the present time.
Interesting facts:
• Radical groupings “Right Sec-
tor” (“Pravyi Sector”), “Azov”,
“C14” act with approval of the
Security Service of Ukraine and
are interconnected with it, to
which the head of “C14” him-
self confessed in an interview.
• Ukrainian nationalist far-right
organization “C14” was includ-
ed into the list of international
terrorist organizations in No-
vember 2017.
Artur Senko
Blogger
Oleksandr Medynskyi
Ukrainian blogger
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7. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
DETENTION OF PEOPLE FOR CRITICISM IN SOCIAL NETWORKS
During the year the Security Service of Ukraine detains people on a systematic basis for
criticizing in social networks and administering opposition groups.
IMPORTANT: the official information of the Security Service of Ukraine
is used in the infographic. The actual number of repressed may
significantly exceed the data of the Ukrainian authorities.
40
109
and
110
37
From 8
to 15
criminal proceedings
over the criticism in
social networks are
included in the Unified
Register of Pre-Trial
Investigations
the articles of the Criminal
Code of Ukraine are imputed
to the accused
(“actions aimed at overthrow
of power”and“violation of
territorial integrity of Ukraine”)
verdicts of guilty were
brought in by Ukrainian
courts on the fact of
criticism of authorities
in social networks
years can be got by
people who allow
critical posts about
authorities
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8. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PUTTING PRESSURE ON MASS MEDIA
An example of pressure on the opposition newspaper
“Vesti”demonstrates the use of all repressive measures:
from general searches in the offices to threats of physi-
cal violence and physical attack against staff members
of this media by radical nationalists.
On February 23, 2017, the National Television and
Radio Broadcasting Council denied license renewal for
broadcasting in Kharkiv to “Radio Vesti”. The decision
was made, despite the act of the Kharkiv District Ad-
ministrative Court, which banned consideration of the
issue of license renewal, since it has not yet lost its va-
lidity. On March 1, the Media Holding submitted ap-
plications to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine,
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the na-
tional police, accusing the National Council according
to Art. 382 (“Failure to comply with a judicial decision”)
and Art. 364 (“Abuse of authority or official position”) of
the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the broad-
cast of Vesti in Kharkiv was discontinued in the after-
noon on February 24.
On March 3, at a meeting of the National Television and
Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine, it was decided
not to renew the Kyiv license of“Radio Vesti”.
In July 2017 representatives of the national police and
the Military Prosecutor’s Office came to the editorial of-
fice of the newspaper Vesti, web site and the radio. For
several hours, the editorial office was blocked by dozens
of armed people, searching employees and offices for
unknown proof of an unknown crime, taking out office
automation and editorial equipment.
On November 16, employees of the Military Prose-
cutor’s Office and the National Agency for Identifying,
Investigating and Managing Assets Obtained from Cor-
ruption and Other Crimes came to the editorial office
of Media Holding Vesti Ukraine. As they reported, the
purpose of their visit was inventory of property, but they
did not provide documents and summoned law enforce-
ment officials.
The incident with the holding immediately drew an an-
gry rebuke from the Committee to Protect Journalists in
New York, the European Federation of Journalists, Na-
tional Union of 9 journalists of Ukraine. The Council of
Europe regarded the searches in editorial offices as the
second level of threat and classified these events as“Per-
secution and intimidation of journalists”.
The situation was of interest to the European Parliament,
the International Federation of Journalists, the parlia-
mentary group of the Bundestag, the embassies of the
USA and the EU countries in Ukraine, human rights ac-
tivists and the world media. On August 3, Oksana Om-
elchenko, the chief editor of the Vesti newspaper and
the website vesti-ukr.com, met with representatives of
the ombudsman in the office of the Ukrainian Parlia-
ment Commissioner for Human Rights. The reason was
undertaking legal proceedings over violation of rights
and freedoms of citizens during a search in the editorial
office of Media Holding Vesti Ukraine.
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9. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PUTTING PRESSURE ON MASS MEDIA
The information site Strana.ua, whose editor Ihor Huzhva
in June 2017 was detained on far-fetched charges and
provocation, is exposed to constant repression.
According to the Prosecutor General Yurii Lutsenko, for
not posting a compromising evidence on the deputy of
the Radical Party Dmytro Linko, who reported blackmail to
the police on March 31, Huzhva received $ 10,000 (marked
money along with a bag equipped with a radio beacon
were found during the search of the premises). According to
Huzhva, he was unsuccessfully offered money for the removal
of materials about the fabrication of the charges because of
the authorities’dissatisfaction with the editorial policy of the
site, said the deputy of Huzhva Svitlana Kriukova.
On June 27, 2017 it became known of the facts of threats,
addressed to journalists of Strana.ua. This was reported by
Deputy Editor-in-Chief Svitlana Kriukova on her Facebook
page. She attached a screenshot of one of the threats that she
received on her mobile phone from an anonymous person.
Kriukova noted that this was the fifth message in a day.
On August 9 the office of “Strana” was searched. In addition,
the Security Service officers broke into the apartments of
two journalists working for“Strana”.
The scandal with searches in the editorial office of “Strana”
did not go unnoticed in international organizations.
On August 14, the International Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement condemning the
persecutionofjournalistsinUkraineandurgedtheauthorities
to ensure conditions for free and independent professional
activity of journalists.
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10. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PUTTING PRESSURE ON MASS MEDIA
Peak pressure on the TV channels Inter, 112 and NewsOne happened in 2016.
Meanwhile, in 2017, authorities with the help of individual nationalist groups,
as well as decisions of state bodies, continued to interfere with the work of the
television channels:
• In August, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police
conducts pre-trial investigations into the case of the Inter TV channel,
connected with the financing of terrorism. The proceedings were re-
corded in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the basis
of violation of articles of the Criminal Code on forgery of documents
(Article 358, part 1) and the financing of terrorism (Article 258-5, part 3).
• In September, the National Council for Television and Radio Broad-
casting of Ukraine denied reissuing the broadcasting license to the TV
channel“112 Ukraine”. In addition, the National Council decided to ap-
ply to the court with a request to annul the digital licenses of five legal
entities broadcasting under the logo of the TV channel“112 Ukraine”.
• In June, the staff of the Ukrainian news channel NewsOne began to
receive numerous threats in connection with the appearance of a
footage about the language quotas on Ukrainian television on the
channel “Russia 1”, where fragments of the NewsOne broadcast were
used. As examples, the television channel quotes the statement of
the adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Illia Kyva
on Facebook, about the need to “plug the Kremlin propaganda
broadcasting through the pro-Kremlin NewsOne”, as well as the
statement of the blogger Semen Kabakaiev that “the TV channel of
Muraiev’s Deputy NewsOne should be closed, as well as“Inter”.
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11. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
PUTTING PRESSURE ON MASS MEDIA
On December 3, 2017 to the territory of the TV chan-
nel a truck with bags drove up, with the help of which
the unknown, most of whom closed their faces with
balaclavas, blocked the entrance and exit from the
TV channel. The entrance to the TV channel was also
blocked by the barbed wire.
Thus, open pressure is being exercised and physical
obstacles to the implementation of legitimate jour-
nalistic activities are created.
The lawbreakers explained that their goal is to force
the channel to change its editorial policy and force
the owner of the TV channel, people’s deputy, Muraiev
Ye.V. to apologize for the opinion expressed by him on
the air of the channel regarding events in Kiev at the
end of 2013 – at the beginning of 2014, which obvi-
ously does not coincide with the opinion of those who
block the channel. Probably another reason for block-
ing, which is not voiced by “activists”, may be that the
NEWSONE TV channel was the only Ukrainian channel
that broadcast the march against the incumbent Pres-
ident of Ukraine, which took place on December 3,
2017 in Kiev.
Normal work as a result of such actions is broken, all
interviews are canceled, guests cannot get into the TV
channel’s studio, and journalists cannot perform their
tasks. Dozens of journalists and other employees of
the TV channel are actually hostages of the unknown,
who openly declare that their goal is to put pressure
on the channel, censorship and the cessation of free-
dom of speech.
Obviously, the actions of people who block the TV
channel are illegal, they interfere with journalistic
activity and encroach on freedom of speech. The
Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for liability for ob-
structing the lawful professional activity of journalists
(Article 171), but law enforcement officers who are
present at the channel and in front of which the so-
called activists carry out their unlawful actions do not
take any measures to protect journalists and suppress
illegal actions.
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12. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
In April 2017, the human rights group “Uspishna
Varta” was formed, which included attorneys and
lawyers of the political party Uspishna Krayina, as
well as volunteers and active members of the polit-
ical force.
The key goal of “Uspishna Varta” is to protect
the rights of Ukrainians in the current regime in
Ukraine. Priority tasks of the project are:
• Monitoring of situations related to the viola-
tion of human rights in Ukraine;
• Assistance to citizens subject to political per-
secution;
• Information and legal support for people
who have suffered for their beliefs;
• Volunteer assistance to families of political
prisoners;
• Free legal advice for the general public;
In addition, the volunteers of “Uspishna Varta” are
present at the most resonant court hearings related
to the violation of human rights, help to bring to the
public the problems of political prisoners, their posi-
tion and opinion. Also the team of “Uspishna Varta”
is engaged in active explanatory work in the regions
of Ukraine.
Since September the human rights group“Uspishna
Varta” has published a quarterly monitoring of hu-
man rights violations in Ukraine. The first document
was presented on September 27 in the European
Parliament (Brussels) at the roundtable “Violation of
human rights, restriction of press freedom and po-
litical repressions in Ukraine.” In the preparation of
this monitoring, except “Uspishna Varta”, the Center
for Freedom of Speech, the Institute for Legal Policy
and Social Protection and other human rights orga-
nizations took part.
Particular emphasis in the study is made on the facts
of persecution of citizens for political reasons, im-
peding the activities of political parties, restricting
the rights to peaceful assemblies. There are political
prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Ukraine.
USPISHNA VARTA – WHO ARE WE?
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13. WHAT IS HAPPENINGTO FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN UKRAINE. State censorship and crackdown on dissent.
FOR NOTES
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