15 March 2011, 16:07
At the today´s briefing in the Parliament, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, announced that he had appealed to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech Andrii Shevchenko with a request to urgently analyze the situation with Hazeta Po-Kyivsky newspaper. Mykola Tomenko reminded that the said newspaper had allegedly stopped its publications for the reasons of policy, since the newspaper owners are convinced that it assumed an inadequate position regarding the acting authorities.
M. Tomenko reminded that effective legislation prohibits any interference without a legal provision or agreement concluded between the owners (co-owners) and editorial staff of mass media with the occupational activity of journalists; control over the content of information distributed by the owners (co-owners) of mass media, public authorities or local self-government bodies, officials, with the aim of preventing information distribution or, vice versa, concealing important public issues; ban on criticizing of public authorities or local self-government bodies or their officials.
M. Tomenko stated that he would request the Chairman of the subject Committee to analyze the events involving the shutdown of the newspaper together with the newspaper personnel.