National Union of Journalists names enemies of journalism

In the run up to Press Freedom Day on 3 May Ukraine’s National Union of Journalist has published its list of enemies of Ukrainian journalism. The list is made up of public officials who in some way resisted or hampered the media’s free and publicly significant work.

In 2008/2009 the following people, in the Union’s view, deserved this anti-award:

Mykola Veres, Head of the Oktyabrsky District Court of the Sumy region (on last year’s list as well). He is suing the newspaper “Panorama” which published an article about conflict between Judge Veres and a deputy of the city council. The amount demanded in compensation is extremely high – 300,000 UAH.

Hryhory Kalyetnik, former Head of the Vinnytsa Regional State Administration and Ihor Kalyetnyk, a National Deputy from the Communist Party. They lodged a suit against the Vinnytsa newspaper “33 kanal” over value judgements regarding these politicians’ activities and letters from the staff of the newspaper to the Speaker of Parliament and National Deputies regarding pressure on the newspaper.

Two judges are on the list in connection with this case: Tetyana Izmailova who allowed the two men’s claim and Natalya Horelkina from a court of appeal who upheld the ruling.

There are three other judges: Olena Kalchenko, Mykhailo Borodin and Oleksandr Shostak.

Victoria Shylova is theGeneral Director of the Dnipropetrovsk regional TV and radio broadcasting, who received the position despite the opposition of a large part of the staff, and who unlawfully dismissed a group of journalists.

Felix Segal, acting Head of the Rozdilnyansky District Administration (Odessa region), who in March this year summoned the Editor of a district newspaper and demanded that she take out material from the font page.

The list also includes other heads of administrations, and deputies.

Judge Olena Kalchenko, from the Desnyansky District Court in Kyiv allowed the defamation claim by Y. Symonenko against two journalists of Blitz-Inform (Maxim Birovash and Serhiy Komyshev, as well as against the publication. As reported, the Supreme Court cancelled all rulings into the case and sent it back to the same Diesnyansky Court for a new examination.

From information at: http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-313636.html