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This report contains the findings and recommendations from a fact-finding mission to Kiev, Ukraine from May 31 to June 3, 2011 carried out by the International Press Institute (IPI), in conjunction with the South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).
During its visit to the Ukrainian capital, the delegation met with representatives of government, including members of Parliament from the ruling Party of Regions and the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, representatives of the Justice Ministry and the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council, and a spokesperson for President Viktor Yanukovych. The delegates also met with journalists from state and private media, including print, broadcast and online media; representatives of Ukrainian media-related non-governmental organisations; and diplomats representing the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria and Slovakia. The delegation met with more than 30 individuals in total.
The mission came at a worrying time for press freedom in Ukraine. Although the state of media freedom was poor in post-Soviet Ukraine, it improved following Viktor Yushchenko’s rise to power in the 2004 “Orange Revolution”, in which protesters forced a new presidential election after an allegedly-rigged vote in favour of Yanukovych. The conflict highlighted a growing divide in society between those perceived to look east to Russia, such as Yanukovych, and those who were thought to look west to Europe, such as Yushchenko.