Council of Europe will take NUJU’s opinion into account when developing recommendations for Ukraine to reduce pressure on journalists

The pressure on Ukrainian journalists, the challenges media workers faced during the war, and potential ways of reforming Ukrainian legislation to implement the Council of Europe and European Union Anti-SLAPP standards were the issues discussed during a meeting at the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine’s (NUJU) central office and the Kyiv Journalists’ Solidarity Center by the head of the legal support program of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and consultant of the Council of Europe of the Union Flutura Kusari with the President of the NUJU Sergiy Tomilenko, the First Secretary of the NUJU Lina Kushch, media lawyer and curator of the NUJU legal help hotline Danil Serbin, and other members of the NUJU team.

The purpose of Flutura Kusari‘s visit was to discuss and establish cooperation with stakeholders and civil society members regarding the implementation of the Council of Europe and European Union standards regarding Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation).

During the meeting, Sergiy Tomilenko also talked about the work and achievements of the NUJU and demonstrated how the NUJU supports Ukrainian journalists and media workers. Flutura Kusari praised the contribution of the NUJU in defending the rights and interests of journalists and appreciated the assistance provided by the Union to journalists during the war.

During the discussion of current problems and challenges facing journalists, Danil Serbin, curator of the NUJU legal help hotline, shared (without disclosing the names and names of the media) practical cases of Ukrainian media figures who sought help from the NUJU legal service due to pressure from local self-government bodies, public figures, and law enforcement agencies.

Flutura Kusari, after the meeting with the members of the NUJU team, compiled a list of current problems, taking into account that the working group of the Council of Europe should develop recommendations for Ukraine, which should be applied by the national government in the future to reduce pressure on journalists and prevent groundless accusations and lawsuits against journalists.

The next day, a meeting of representatives of the Council of Europe was held with a wide range of interested parties and members of civil society, including representatives of the NUJU, representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, judges, media lawyers, representatives of public organizations, etc.

Representatives of the Council of Europe and Flutura Kusari, taking into account what they heard during previous meetings, talked about examples of combating SLAPP in other European countries, voiced practical cases and advice, and also conducted a practical session with the participants of the meeting, during which the participants were divided into two groups, who were presented with a practical case and given the task of offering their ways and visions of solving the case.

Representatives from the NUJU – Sergiy Tomilenko, Lina Kushch, and Danil Serbin, who participated in this event, thank the organizers and Ms. Flutura for public publicity and help in solving the extremely urgent problem of pressure on Ukrainian journalists.

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine is ready to support the implementation of the aforementioned Anti-SLAPP program in Ukraine by all means and forces, as it fully shares the concerns regarding the need to reduce pressure on journalists and ensure freedom of speech and expression of views in Ukraine.

NUJU Information Service