Vienna, 14/07/2016
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) has condemned the Kiev decision to ban three journalists from reporting in the Donbass region conflict zone.
In the early hours of Tuesday, 12 July, the state cancelled the journalist accreditation of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta correspondent Yulia Polukhina. Accreditations were also suspended for Hromadske TV journalists Anastasiya Stanko and Konstiantyn Reutskyi. Authorities said that the media workers had violated standards set for journalists by the ATO (anti-terrorist operation) in Donbass.
Allegedly, videos and photos which were filmed on 6 July and published on 8 July showed ‘positions of Ukrainian paratroopers, their facial features and weapons, as well as locations’.
‘We call Ukrainian authorities to retract the decision and allow Yulia Polukhina, Anastasiya Stanko and Konstiantyn Reutskyi to work and report freely from the conflict area. During times of crisis, the public relies even more heavily on journalists to provide accurate and balanced information about what is happening. Being able to receive solid information during a conflict is essential’, said SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic.
SEEMO is a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South, East and Central Europe and its press freedom work is supported by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) project, as part of a grant by the European Commission.