Can regional media be designated as critical infrastructure?

The legal hotline for journalists and mass media receives questions not only of a local but also of a general nature. Many of them are based on appeals through the network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centers (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), to which media persons turn for support. We publish the expert answers to those of them, which are of interest to many media professionals.

In particular, the Lviv-based office of the Unified Western Ukrainian JSC received the following question:

• Is it possible to designate regional media as critical infrastructure? If so, what is the procedure?

Lawyer Danil Serbin, IBC Legal Services, answers the question:

• Unfortunately, a special procedure for both the media in general and the district media in particular is currently not provided for. The public regulator, the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council, has not yet developed the criteria according to which media can be designated as critical for further reservation of conscript workers.

In this regard, the media, on par with other enterprises, should be guided by the general provisions for obtaining the status of a critical enterprise. In general, the procedure and criteria are prescribed in Resolution 76 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The NUJU website has also published material on the booking of media workers; I recommend that you read it by clicking on the link.

Another option for receiving a deferment from the bill is the personal reasons of employees, a detailed list of which is set out in Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine On Mobilization Drills and Mobilization.

As earlier reported, there is a free hotline for legal assistance of the NUJU for journalists. Ukrainian media men and women can receive consultations from highly qualified specialists of the legal company, IBC LEGAL SERVICES, and lawyers with extensive experience.

We guarantee:

• full confidentiality;

• professional, qualified assistance;

• high-quality and quick response.

To apply, you need to fill out a special form: http://surl.li/evrmg. The service is completely free and accessible from any region or country.

The legal hotline works under the auspices of the JSC network of the NUJU with the support of UNESCO and the International and European Federations of Journalists.

Call the Western Ukrainian JSC Lviv-Chernivtsi at 097 907 9702 (Nataliya Voitovych, the Lviv JSC coordinator, Volodymyr Bober, an assistant). The Center’s address is 5 Solomiyi Krushelnytskoyi Street.

ABOUT JSC

The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

ABOUT UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

JSC network information service