Powerful politicians and businessmen continued to wield their influence
to harass journalists and opposition newspapers, eroding press freedom and
limiting the number and variety of voices available in the country. Officials
have used tax and libel laws, as well as charges of illegally obtaining
government documents, to close newspapers and silence journalists. Violence
against the press persisted, including bombings of newspaper offices and
assaults on reporters and editors, creating an atmosphere of fear and
self-censorship.
Some of the hostilities were apparently timed to stifle opposition coverage
of the March 29 parliamentary election. Similar activities are likely during
the run-up to the October 1999 presidential election.
President Leonid Kuchma, who is expected to seek re-election, has been critical
of the press, particularly media with foreign ownership, such as the joint
Ukrainian-Russian and Ukrainian-American television channels, which provide
what little independent news coverage is available. Harsh tax laws and high
production costs force most newspapers and broadcast outlets without foreign
support to seek financial aid from businesses and politicians, who then demand
favorable coverage.
The government used prosecutions and crushing fines to force three newspapers
-- the opposition papers Pravda Ukrainy and Vseukrainskiye
Vedomosti, and the national weekly Politika -- to close their
doors. And other news outlets and journalists endured prosecution and fines
for their critical reporting.
Violence against the press included a Molotov cocktail attack on the offices
of Vseukrainskiye Vedomosti four days before it closed.
Amendments to broadcast regulations now exempt radio and television stations
from libel charges for defamatory statements made on the air during political
campaigns, but the new rules took effect only three days before the parliamentary
election. |
|
|
|
