Since early February, Ukrainian TV channel NASH has been picketed by organizations of Ukrainian nationalists. They demanded that the Ukrainian government to close the TV channel, which they consider pro-Russian. During the picket, they obstructed the work of journalists and staff of the channel. Nationalists have repeatedly attacked the channel’s journalists.

In Ukraine, there is a difficult situation with freedom of speech in regards to attacks on media workers. In 2021, there were 70 incidents of the use of force against journalists, in which 100 employees of the Ukrainian media were injured. On February 1, the Head of the National Union of Journalists, Sergei Tomilenko, provided data in a Facebook post from the National Union of Journalists which provided evidence of these attacks  (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php fbid=4807744322643727&set=a.113677965383743&type=3)

The practice of extrajudicial closure of the media in Ukraine is very common. According to a decision by the National Security and Defense Council, three other TV channels that were accused by nationalists of being pro-Russian propaganda were closed. After the closure of the TV channels, none of the accusations against them was ever proven.

Max Nazarov, a presenter on the TV channel NASH TV, said on February 7, that the documents on which the decision to close the channel were based, would be made public and had already been delivered to the National Security and Defense Council.

Our sources in the highest echelons of the Ukrainian government have confirmed that on February 4, a meeting was held in the office of the President of Ukraine, which was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov and employees of the President’s Office. Zelensky instructed those in attendance to find the facts or conditions to close NASH in the nearest future. It should be noted that the channel does not belong to any of Ukraine’s oligarchs or politicians. From the summer of 2021, the channel has been owned by the labor collective.

Brussels Press President Club Colin Stevens stated: “For us, the principle of freedom of speech is crucial. The practice of extrajudicial closure of the media is not acceptable in Europe. If any information resource violates the law, it must be proven in court. as there must be legal procedures. Otherwise, it turns out that any media with a position that the government does not agree with can be closed. This sort of situation can make Zelensky non-handshakable, since he is the guarantor of the constitution. And the right to freedom of expression is one of the crucial rights in any European constitution”.

Critically, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, stated that the National Security and Defense Council has not yet considered imposing sanctions against the NASH TV, under whose office a protest was held last week.

The events surrounding NASH TV may be connected with possible early parliamentary elections. After all, in the event of its possible closure, the south-eastern flank of the country will remain without media coverage. This will give Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People party additional chances to gain more votes.

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By: Nicholas Waller
Title: Another TV channel may be closed in Ukraine
Sourced From: www.neweurope.eu/article/another-tv-channel-may-be-closed-in-ukraine/
Published Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2022 21:06:46 +0000

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