A court order is still necessary for a permanent media ban. However, courts are not considered independent in Ukraine.
A controversial Ukrainian media law, which gives broad powers to the national broadcasting council, is expected to come into force immediately after being approved by parliament on Tuesday.
Journalists criticize the extremely broad powers this law gives the eight-member council: it can now not only proceed with fines, but also block online media for thirty days without a court order if they repeat the violation of the rules.
A court order is still necessary for a permanent media ban.
However, courts are not considered independent in Ukraine.
Half of the members of the council are appointed by the president and the other half by the Ukrainian parliament.
With the adoption of the media law, “the clause of the approximation of the national legislation for the audiovisual sector with the European one is applied”, the council said yesterday.
It was one of seven conditions placed on Ukraine when it was decided to grant it EU candidate status. The law was passed by a two-thirds majority, albeit narrowly.
Among the reasons put forward for the drafting of the new law was the need to adapt to the new technological possibilities of the internet age. The new legal framework also concerns television, radio, and print media.
Before Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine even began on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky had shut down television networks and blocked what he described as pro-Russian news sites, bypassing the legal process.
After the war broke out, television networks controlled by Mr Zelensky’s political rival, former president Petro Poroshenko, faced restrictions.
Ukraine is ranked 106th in the press freedom ranking of 180 countries by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RES-EMP
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