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Media Freedom Coalition adopts statement calling on Russia to release Yesypenko, all journalists unjustly detained in Crimea – Kuleba
KYIV. Aug 26 (Interfax-Ukraine) – At the initiative of Ukraine, the Media Freedom Coalition adopted a statement on media freedom in Crimea, joined by 20 countries on Thursday, August 26, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
"On Ukraine’s initiative, Media Freedom Coalition adopted a statement on media freedom in Crimea, joined by 20 states. We call on Russia to immediately release Vladyslav Yesypenko and all unjustly detained journalists, restore media freedom in Crimea," Kuleba said on his Twitter page on Thursday.
According to the text of the statement released on the Foreign Ministry’s website, members of the Media Freedom Coalition "express their deep concern over the deteriorating media freedom situation in occupied Crimea, Ukraine, and the continued harassment, violence, and prosecution of journalists by the Russian Federation."
"Such is the case with Vladyslav Yesypenko, a freelance journalist associated with the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ‘Crimea.Reality’ project, who had been reporting on social and environmental issues and filming the views of Crimean residents prior to his arrest by the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 10, 2021. We are concerned by reports of mistreatment and abuse while Mr. Yesypenko has been detained," the officials said in the statement.
It is also emphasized that nine civilian journalists – Crimean Tatars (Server Mustafayev, Tymur Ibrahimov, Marlen Asanov, Seyran Saliyev, Remzi Bekirov, Ruslan Suleymanov, Osman Aryfmemetov, Rustem Sheyhaliyev, Amet Suleymanov) are currently being held in pre-trial detention centers and prisons in Russia and occupied Crimea.
"We call on the Russian Federation to immediately release Vladyslav Yesypenko and all journalists who have been unjustly detained for their work and to allow journalists to practice their profession without fear of persecution, arbitrary imprisonment, violence, and forced disappearance. We are also concerned with Russia’s efforts to stifle independent print and broadcast media on the peninsula through its continued harassment and intimidation which has effectively forced independent media underground or into exile," according to the text.
The coalition also draws attention to the systematic restrictions on freedom of speech and opinion faced by residents of Crimea.
"This is one of the issues that the Crimea Platform initiative aims to address," the officials said in the statement.
The statement was signed by the following countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United States, Ukraine, Finland, France, Czech Republic.
The Media Freedom Coalition is an informal alliance of countries created in 2019 to develop cooperation to strengthen the protection of media freedom and the safety of journalists. The coalition includes 49 members.
