{"id":1762917,"date":"2022-12-05T07:32:31","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T12:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1762917"},"modified":"2022-12-05T07:32:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T12:32:37","slug":"theres-no-such-thing-as-press-freedom-in-zelenskys-dissent-crushing-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theres-no-such-thing-as-press-freedom-in-zelenskys-dissent-crushing-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s No Such Thing As Press Freedom In Zelensky\u2019s Dissent-Crushing Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftheres-no-such-thing-as-press-freedom-in-zelenskys-dissent-crushing-ukraine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1762917&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been lionized by the Western press since the start of Russia\u2019s invasion, but in the not-so-distant past, many international human rights organizations and concerned Ukrainians were sounding the alarm on dangerous and anti-democratic patterns of behavior exhibited by the president.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 3, 2021, Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kyivpost.com\/ukraine-politics\/zelensky-bans-media-empire-associated-with-putins-friend-medvedchuk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enacted<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.president.gov.ua\/documents\/432021-36441?fbclid=IwAR1oRmq-Ug4T9RnUiuR0WQo4588UYYHSU_1yH03BndOC2qUWck6qaYbqwLE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sanctions<\/a> on three television stations believed to be affiliated with Viktor Medvedchuk, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2022\/02\/28\/ukraine-russia-medvedchuck\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leader<\/a> of the Opposition Bloc party, critic of Zelensky, and duly <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Viktor_Medvedchuk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elected<\/a> member of parliament.<\/p>\n<p>The channels were immediately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/ukrainealert\/analysis-ukraine-bans-kremlin-linked-tv-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taken off air<\/a>, including Newsone, which had <a href=\"https:\/\/newsone.ua\/news\/politics\/medvedchuk_schitat_chto_siloy_vernut_doneck_i_lugansk_v_ukrainu_mozhet_tolko_samoubiyca_i_ogranichennyy_chelovek.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> Zelensky \u201cnarrow minded\u201d and quoted Medvedchuk criticizing the president for reneging on his campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-49903996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promise<\/a> of finding a peaceful solution to the conflicts in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/ukraine-crisis-decree\/ukraines-president-approves-sanctions-on-plane-used-by-kremlin-ally-interfax-ukraine-idUSS8N2Q50AS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sanctioned<\/a> the air travel company used by Medvedchuk and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/youtube-blocks-access-ukrainian-tv-channels-tied-kremlin-ally-ukraine-govt-says-2021-04-24\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressured<\/a> American social media companies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/313615_UKRAINE-2021-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube<\/a> to deactivate the accounts of Medvedchuk-affiliated companies, which it ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kyivpost.com\/ukraine-politics\/youtube-blocks-channels-associated-with-medvedchuk-but-only-in-ukraine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">did<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> Condemnation from Around the World <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/03\/ukraine-president-bans-three-television-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Justified<\/a> by Medvedchuk\u2019s ties to Putin, these actions were nonetheless widely condemned by international, European, and Ukrainian nongovernmental human rights organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Free press advocates such as the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ), who collectively represent hundreds of thousands of journalists across 140 countries, jointly <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/03\/ukraine-president-bans-three-television-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denounced<\/a> the decree, calling it \u201can extra-judicial and politically motivated ban and a blatant attack on press freedom that must be urgently reversed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A division within the United Nations released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/313615_UKRAINE-2021-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> declaring that the decision had not been made by an impartial authority and \u201clacked proper justification and proportion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), a group that has <a href=\"https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com\/Stommedia\/status\/1579369263294746624\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeatedly<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com\/Stommedia\/status\/1565013937283690496\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemned<\/a> Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, openly <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/03\/ukraine-president-bans-three-television-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criticized<\/a> the 2021 sanctions: \u201cDepriving Ukrainian citizens of access to media without a prior trial and banning hundreds of journalists and media outlets of their right to work is an attack on freedom of speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> Retaliating Against Journalists <\/p>\n<p>Medvedchuk, still a sitting member of parliament at the time, attempted to create a new media organization called First Independent. Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kyivpost.com\/ukraine-politics\/media-whack-a-mole-zelensky-smacks-medvedchuks-new-channels.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dissolved<\/a> the outlet a few months later.<\/p>\n<p>Gross negligence on the part of Ukrainian law enforcement in addressing retaliation against journalists also became a central issue internationally and was flagged by U.S. intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n<p>A 2021 U.S. State Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/313615_UKRAINE-2021-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> on Ukraine blamed \u201cgovernment inaction in solving crimes for the emergence of a culture of impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGovernment authorities sometimes participated in and condoned attacks on journalists,\u201d the report went on, citing allegations that \u201cthe government prosecuted journalists in retaliation for their work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> Doubling Down <\/p>\n<p>Ignoring international backlash, on Aug. 20, 2021, Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifj.org\/media-centre\/news\/detail\/category\/press-releases\/article\/ukraine-president-bans-opposition-media-stranaua-and-sanctions-editor-in-chief.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed<\/a> broad <a href=\"https:\/\/zakon-rada-gov-ua.translate.goog\/laws\/show\/n0057525-21?_x_tr_sl=uk&#038;_x_tr_tl=en&#038;_x_tr_hl=en&#038;_x_tr_pto=wapp#n2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sanctions<\/a> against various digital media publishers, yet again without parliamentary involvement.<\/p>\n<p>Strana, one of Ukraine\u2019s largest outlets at the time, with 24 million <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Letter_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visits<\/a> per month, was a primary target of the sanctions. After its primary website address (Strana.ua) was cut off, the outlet was forced onto another domain (Strana.news), which is still <a href=\"https:\/\/detector.media\/infospace\/article\/191424\/2021-08-25-internet-provaydery-pochaly-blokuvaty-sayt-strananews-na-yakyy-pislya-sanktsiy-pereikhala-stranaua\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forbidden<\/a> in Ukraine. Strana\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Letter_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">viewership<\/a> dropped by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/website\/strana.news\/#overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than<\/a> 94 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Human rights organizations once again found the justification of \u201cpro-Russian\u201d ties uncompelling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not long ago, many international human rights organizations were warning of anti-democratic behavior by Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelensky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":602,"featured_media":1762920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1762917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1762917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/602"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1762917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1762917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1762920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1762917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1762917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1762917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}