Representatives of the Reporters Without Borders Organization intend to return to Ukraine and meet Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the secretary general of the organization, Jean-Francois Julliard, said on Tuesday.
He was speaking during a meeting with representatives of temporary investigatory commission on cases of censorship in the media, pressure upon freedom of speech in Ukraine and hindering legal professional activity of journalists.
"As for meeting the president, we can offer to hold talks and return to meet him," he told the participants.
Julliard noted that he did not manage to meet with Yanukovych during his visit to Ukraine. Members of the investigatory commission Mykola Katerynchuk (Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense faction), Andriy Shevchenko (BYT faction) and Olena Kondratiuk (BYT faction) expressed their regrets about this.
During the meeting, one member of the commission, Volodymyr Zubanov (Regions Party), noted that he represents the ruling party and added that the Regions Party is interested in the development of the freedom of speech in Ukraine and the right of each journalist to express his or her viewpoints and opinions to Ukrainians.
He also said that the National Journalists Union, with 17,000 members, has been created in Ukraine. In addition, an independent journalists’ trade union and public organizations exist in Ukraine.
Zubanov also noted that an investigatory commission on cases of pressure upon journalists and intrusion into journalists’ activity has been created in the parliament.
He added that the president ordered the representatives of security agencies to investigate all alleged cases of pressure being put upon the media or journalists.
In turn, Katerynchuk said that the commission was formed to investigate cases of beating journalists, hindering reporters gaining accreditation and intrusions into the activity of the media.
"I can say that this situation is not simple at all," he said and added that almost every week the investigatory commission receives reports about cases of pressure being place on reporters, and their being hindered in their activity.
He promised that the commission would pass the materials to the Reporters Without Borders Organization.
Shevchenko noted that the fact the management of the organization had come to Ukraine was extremely important.
Commenting on reports of pressure on the journalists and the hindering of their activity, he said that "the problem lies not just in the existence of such cases, but in their being completely ignored by the authorities."
Summarizing the meeting, the secretary general said his organization would be glad to help the investigatory commission, and added that its representatives would like to meet with the representatives of the state authorities and with journalists.
"Of course we will provide our recommendations, but only after making an objective examination of the situation," Julliard said.
