You're reading: Shuster, civil activists to set up committee to save freedom of speech in Ukraine

Journalist and television host Savik Shuster and civil activists have announced plans to set up a committee to save freedom of speech in Ukraine.

After systemic harassment of journalists and independent media, the activists, parliamentarians and journalists decided to unite in a committee for the salvation of freedom of speech in Ukraine, according to a press release issued by Savik Shuster Studio on Thursday. The case against the TV host Shuster became a decisive factor.

“State pressure on journalists, on free media and information platforms is a manifestation of authoritarianism and this country becoming close to a dictatorship. This is evidenced by numerous increasingly systemic violations of journalists’ rights. This was also pointed out by international experts who ranked us as 107th, amongst African countries and totalitarian regimes, in the global freedom of speech rating,” according to the press release.

The Committee was also supported by Petro Poroshenko Bloc parliamentarian Serhiy Leschenko, the head of the Odesa regional state administration Mikheil Saakashvili and others representatives of the media and civil society.

It emerged on April 26 that Shuster’s license to work in Ukraine had been canceled. The Kyiv job centre said it made the decision after receiving information from the State Employment Service that Shuster is the subject of a criminal investigation.

Shuster said earlier that in his view the decision was deliberately made ahead of the holidays. The TV host also said that he had appealed against the decision to cancel his work permit and announced a hunger strike until he has his right to work in Ukraine reinstated.

On April 28 the State Employment Service suspended the decision of the Kyiv job centre, canceling the Ukrainian work permit for Shuster, a Canadian citizen, pending the inquiry.