[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1939-E1940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING UKRAINIAN JOURNALISTS AGAINST OPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 17, 2002

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of restoring free 
speech in Ukraine. Democratic societies should cherish freedom of 
speech, not fear it. Current efforts in Ukraine to suppress this 
fundamental human right undermine every other human liberty for the 
Ukrainian people, and thus, must not continue. I call upon our friends 
in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, and Ukraine's government leaders to 
defend the human rights of Ukrainian citizens, and to ensure Ukrainian 
journalists are permitted to report news truthfully and accurately, 
free from fear of harassment, molestation, imprisonment and physical 
harm.
  The chairman of the Rada's Committee on Freedom of Speech and 
Information, Mykola Tomenko, last month, said guidelines on covering 
politics were routinely being sent to media chiefs. He told a press 
conference he had received such a document from a TV channel head who 
indicated he receives such a document every week from the president's 
administration.
  Blatant incidents of media censorship in Ukraine are increasingly 
indicating an orchestrated campaign to control information and news of 
public interest. These events cast grave doubts upon the sustainability 
of Ukraine's development as a democratic society, and upon the 
government's commitment to the constitutional rights of its citizens. 
This increased oppression on Ukrainian media has precipitated the 
formation of a journalist's union, organized to fight political 
censorship. I commend these journalists for their courageous defense of 
democracy and human freedom.
  On September 24, 2002, the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe held a roundtable discussion 
focusing on Ukraine's current media regulations and whether they adhere 
to Western standards. Ukrainian parliamentarians, government officials, 
media professionals, international experts and diplomats took part in 
discussions. The OSCE representative on freedom of the media pointed 
out that Ukraine's law on the procedure of coverage by mass media on 
state authorities and local self-government ``raises very serious 
doubts about [Ukraine's] compliance with international human rights 
standards on freedom of expression.''
  On October 3rd, 2002, journalists participating in the roundtable 
signed the ``Manifesto of Ukraine Journalists on Political 
Censorship.'' The proclamation reads as follows:

        Manifesto of Ukraine Journalists on Political Censorship

       We, the journalists of Ukraine, fully realizing the unique 
     role of a truthful word for development and consolidation of 
     our Motherland, realizing our personal responsibility as 
     journalists for giving unbiased information, understanding 
     that fear will impede some of our colleagues to sign the 
     Manifesto, proclaim:
       (1) Political censorship does exist in Ukraine and it is 
     realized through orders or upon consent of the Power in 
     regard to television and radio programs, articles in 
     newspapers through illegal pressure of all kind on 
     journalists and individual mass media that try to highlight 
     social and political life in the country.
       (2) Political censorship humiliates journalists and people 
     of Ukraine.
       (3) Political censorship is illegal: while exerting 
     political censorship the Power attempts to restrict 
     constitutional right of citizens for freedom of speech, which 
     is stipulated in the Constitution of Ukraine, laws of 
     Ukraine, international legal documents ratified by Ukraine 
     and hence binding on its territory. It is worth stressing 
     that the right for freedom of speech is an integral right of 
     Ukraine citizens. Thus, it is a harsh violation of one of the 
     most important fundamental principles of the Constitution of 
     Ukraine. The fact that with the flagrant examples of 
     political censorship in Ukraine no one has been brought to 
     trial we retain as scoffing the Law and the rights of Ukraine 
     citizens.
       (4) We, the journalists of Ukraine, identify ourselves with 
     resistance of our colleagues and greet the tendency when 
     along with intensification of political censorship in Ukraine 
     journalists shift from protests of individuals to mass joint 
     actions.
       (5) We, the journalists of Ukraine, proclaim our readiness 
     to an all-Ukraine strike for whose preparation and for 
     preparation of other joint actions of journalists in support 
     of their colleagues the initiative group is being 
     established.
       (6) We, the journalists of Ukraine, will look for every 
     means to support our colleagues

[[Page E1940]]

     dismissed from their jobs or persecuted because of their 
     adherence to objective journalism.
       October 3, 2002.

  Mr. Speaker, on February 22, 2001 I participated, as part of a 
Congressional Delegation, in a roundtable discussion in Kyiv, Ukraine 
with several Ukrainian journalists. The consensus was a sad commentary 
on the state of censorship in Ukraine even then. The reporters were in 
agreement: There is no free press in Ukraine. I have since had the 
chance to meet with several more Ukrainian journalists throughout 
Ukraine and can tell the House that each report I received described 
differing levels of intimidation, censorship, and control by Ukraine's 
central authorities. I have documented some of these interviews on my 
official web site: www.house.gov/schaffer.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
support foreign assistance programs and non-government organizations 
that promote independent mass media in developing countries such as 
Ukraine. Additionally, I urge the administration of Ukraine to complete 
investigation of the murders of Heorhiy Gongadze and other journalists, 
and to offer protection from physical violence and legislative 
mechanisms to defend them. I furthermore urge Ukrainian investigators 
to fully utilize the expertise of our Federal Bureau of Investigation 
as promised by President Leonid Kuchma during a meeting with the 
Congressional Delegation on February 22, 2001.
  Finally, I encourage Ukrainian journalists to persist in their 
relentless pursuit of the truth. Their professionalism, courage, and if 
necessary, their personal sacrifice, are the essential elements in 
securing authentic liberty for their countrymen and delivering Ukraine 
to a righteous state of serene democracy.

                          ____________________