There have been a number of
major moves this year which give people close to President Viktor Yanukovych
and his family control over major media holdings. These are widely viewed as
preparation for the presidential campaign in early 2015.

But also someone is overtly
intimidating journalists and civic activists.

Oksana Romanyuk, director
of the Institute for Mass Information [IMI, had her computer hacked and email
correspondence posted online.  Publications on, for example, Ukrainska
Kryvda, a clone site aping the popular news website Ukrainska Pravda, were
brazen in distorting the information hacked and making defamatory allegations
about Romanyuk and IMI.  They also openly threatened other journalists
that they should expect similar treatment. 

Two investigative journalists
from Ukrainska Pravda – Serhiy Leshchenko and Mustafa Nayem – have already had
their emails hacked. 

All the targets could
easily be predicted and are known for critical reporting, and journalist
investigations into media ownership machinations, the corrupt dealings behind
Yanukovych’s controversial residence at Mezhyhirya or similar. 

All are members of the
civic movement Stop Censorship, and both Romanyuk and IMI have played an
important part in alerting the international community to infringements of
press freedom in Ukraine.

Back in January this year
another prominent activist Oleh Rybachuk from CHESNO predicted a
wide-scale campaign aimed at discrediting honest journalists and civic
activists. With confidence in the regime at a record low, he said, they don’t
have anything left to fight with but mud. 

The mudslinging could have
the opposite effect and simply convince people that those targeted are on the
right track. This was clearly demonstrated by the reaction to the attack on
Romanyuk from Reporters without Borders and Freedom House. It also seems
inconceivable that readers of Ukrainska Pravda could be influenced by primitive
texts being circulated via dodgy websites and publications.

On the other hand, the full
frontal attack on civic organizations under way in neighbouring Russia cannot
be ignored. Authorities are trying to convince the public that journalists and
civic activists have venal motives and are raking in grants from foreign
governments or nongovernmental organizations. In Russia, this thinking has led
to a law requiring any NGO receiving money from abroad to register as
a “foreign agent.”  They face draconian fines or closure if they refuse.

It’s all drearily familiar
in Ukraine as well. 

Back in 2011, the
head of the ruling Party of the Regions faction in parliament, Oleksandr
Yefremov, asserted that a scenario similar to that in northern Africa is being
set in motion in Ukraine on money from the international Renaissance
Foundation’s founder, George Soros.  His party colleague, Vadym
Kolesnichenko was swift to join the act, explaining that they were working on
measures to restrict conditions for funding NGOs. “We must be clear what aims
foreign countries have in spending money on the territory of our country,” he
said. 

This is hardly
a winner right now as Ukraine tries to convince the EU to sign an association
agreement which would, one way or another, lead to major inflow of badly needed
financial support. 

This same refrain is now
being pushed by Ukrainska Kryvda and its ilk.  It may simply demonstrate
the ideological limitations of those commissioning the mudslinging.  Or
this may be aimed at preparing targets to blame if the EU-Ukraine association agreement
is not signed.  The message: don’t blame us. It’s all the fault of those
journalists and activists willing to spread any nasty slander about Ukraine for
foreign grants.

The EU insistence on
Tymoshenko’s release for the agreement to be signed is justified.  You
don’t imprison political rivals.  Nor however do media holding buyouts and
overt attempts to intimidate and discredit journalists and civic activists
constitute acceptable methods for running presidential or any other election
campaigns.

Halya Coynash is a member of the Kharkiv Human Rights Projection group
and this article was edited from an online version found here:
http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1381579720