1 October 2012,

WAN-IFRA, the world leading association of newspapers and news publishers, calls on members of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) to vote on Tuesday, 2 October, to rescind proposed amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code that would reintroduce criminal libel, with possible jail terms of up to five years.

It is of crucial importance for free and independent media development in Ukraine for journalists to be free to report openly about all important and socially sensible topics and to act as a watchdog against corruption and other abuses. Criminal libel inhibits this role; it is a wholly inappropriate means of dealing with the issue of defamation and contravenes a number of international agreements. We believe that a civil award of reasonable damages is adequate and appropriate relief in all proven cases of defamation.

The reintroduction of criminal libel is also contrary to the position taken by the President of Ukraine, his Excellency Mr.Victor Yanukovich, at the 64th World Newspaper Congress, where he pledged the Ukrainian government to a goal of building a modern media system and to develop a strong, sustainable and independent press. Rescinding the proposal is also important from the point of view of European investment in the development of Ukraine.

On behalf of the world’s independent newspapers and news publishers, we call on all Ukrainian Parliament members to attend the Verkhovna Rada session on 2 October, and vote to accept Resolution №11255 dated 25.09.2012, to ensure that journalists in Ukraine will have the possibility to report openly on all important and socially sensible topics, and to help in the development of free and independent media in Ukraine.

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Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and Public Affairs, WAN-IFRA, 96 bis, rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 07 . Fax: +33 1 42 78 92 33 . Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36 . E-mail:  larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org