Ukraine: TV stations strike against censorship
Three television stations in Ukraine suspended their programming for one hour in protest against restrictions on press freedom. On Saturday evening, Channel 5, TVi, and a regional broadcaster took this action to protest the growing political pressure on media professionals.
The broadcasters are threatened with license revocation, as Kiev media reported on Sunday. They accuse the authorities of reintroducing censorship. The USA and the EU have also recently expressed concern about the media policy under the new President Viktor Yanukovych. The pro-Russian Yanukovych had repeatedly declared that he would not touch the freedom of the press. However, his opponents see increasing authoritarian tendencies and political pressure being exerted on the media. The people of Ukraine see the democratic freedoms gained in the course of the pro-Western Orange Revolution of 2004 increasingly under threat. The International Press Institute (IPI) in Vienna called on Yanukovych to protect democratic values. The IPI criticized violent police attacks on journalists in Ukraine. In addition, reporters are being pressured to make statements during interrogations that they will no longer criticize those in power.
