July 16, 2012
PRESS RELEASE
UWC CALLED UPON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO CONDEMN THE RAID BY UKRAINE’S TAX POLICE ON INDEPENDENT TELEVISION CHANNEL TVi
On July 16, 2012, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij expressed grave concern, in a letter to the international community, over a raid by Ukraine’s tax police on the independent television channel TVi on July 12, 2012.
The UWC called upon the international community to condemn this raid and demand that independent media in Ukraine be given the ability to provide objective coverage of Ukrainian news without threat or fear of retaliation or persecution from government authorities as per the European Parliament resolution on Ukraine of December 1, 2011 which stresses the importance of media freedom and ensuring that the Ukrainian authorities refrain from any attempt to control, directly or indirectly, the content of national media reporting.
The UWC noted that such actions by the tax police in the run-up to Ukraine’s 2012 Parliamentary elections do not bode well for the prospect of free and fair elections in Ukraine, including objective coverage by the independent media.
A copy of this letter was sent by the UWC to President Viktor Yanukovych, calling upon him to ensure compliance with the European Parliament resolution on Ukraine of December 1, 2011 regarding media freedom.
The UWC is an international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC has member organizations in 32 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 15 additional countries. Founded in 1967 as a non-profit corporation, the UWC was recognized in 2003 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the United Nations Economic and Social Council with special consultative status.
