OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir will make a visit to Ukraine on February 4-7 to discuss the bill on disinformation with the Ukrainian authorities, Head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine Serhiy Tomilenko has said.
“In fact, a high-ranking diplomat will work with the leadership of the Culture Ministry of Ukraine to prevent it from pushing Ukraine on the way of violating its commitments to freedom of speech in the media,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Désir will also meet with the leadership of the parliamentary committee in humanitarian and information policy, Tomilenko said.
As reported, Désir expressed concerns about several provisions in Ukraine’s new draft law on disinformation.
“I understand the need to fight against disinformation, especially in the context of the current conflict in and around Ukraine. But this should not be done at the expense of media freedom and through state interference in the content of the media and in the organization of journalism activities in the country. Moreover, the current Ukrainian legislation already provides mechanisms to counteract socially dangerous information,” he said.
