During a solo speech [Zelensky did not turn up for the “debate” – ed] in one of the rooms of the Olympic National Sports Complex, the current president Petro Poroshenko said that in Ukraine ” no person for these 5 years suffered due to political motives”. He also added that the media “had the opportunity to work freely”.
I want to emphasise that no person during these 5 years suffered due to political motives. I am delighted that, despite all the gossip, the media had the opportunity to work freely.
It should be noted that in terms of just journalists, about ten spent time behind bars during the years of Poroshenko’s presidency. And the editor-in-chief of “Strana” Igor Guzhva was granted political asylum in Austria – this means that the political repression against this agency – which, according to the agency’s information, was authorised personally by the president – is recognised in Europe.
Besides Guzhva, the journalists Dmitry Vasilets, Evgeny Timonin, Vasily Muravitsky, Pavel Volkov, and Ruslan Kotsaba spent time behind bars. Not one of them was convicted by the court.
The former director of “RIA Novosti Ukraine” Kirill Vyshinsky remains in prison. The SBU also initiated a case against the journalist Vladimir Skachko.
All of these people were included in the reports of international human rights organisations.
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