Regarding the closure of the Ukrainian television program “Toloka”

The International Committee of the protection of press freedom and journalists’ rights review a decision of the President of the First National Channel Vitali Dokalenko the closure of the Ukrainian television program “Toloka”, whose author was Victor Pavliuk, and that was the only political program, which looked into the channel on the air, as an act of political censorship and attacks on freedom of speech in Ukraine.

Termination of the airing of the program “Toloka” happened after that, as in this program in the evening March 19, 2007 was attended by leaders of the Ukrainian opposition Yulia Tymoshenko and Vyacheslav Kirilenko. From this sequence of events, we can conclude that the Ukrainian government, in whose hands are the levers control the first national television station, does not understand the importance to society of free discussion, in which would be given the opportunity to express different points of view.

Freedom of speech is an integral part of European values, a commitment which, in words, and he constantly stressed the Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich, and led by the Party of Regions of Ukraine. The International Committee of the protection of press freedom and journalists’ rights hoped that the closure of the Ukrainian television program “Toloka” is just an unfortunate misunderstanding and it will be quickly rectified the decision of the Ukrainian government, and those guilty of violating the right to freedom of speech administrative staff of the Ukrainian television will suffer for this arbitrary proper punishment.

The International Committee of the protection of press freedom and journalists’ rights will closely monitor further developments in this situation, which shows the true intentions of the Ukrainian government and the ruling parliamentary coalition to respect the common values of the civilized world.

The original of this document (in Russian) is available at pressguard.arbat.name

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