KIEV — Ukrainians take media freedom seriously. They expect to hear debates on the airwaves. But what has been a source of pride for many has recently come under threat. Politicians, publicly criticized for their failures, want to pull an iron curtain over media outlets.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, masked men in military fatigues stormed the offices of a television station that I co-own — INTER television — as production crews prepared the evening broadcast, one of the highest-rated programs in the country. The intruders, who called themselves “patriots,” set fire to production equipment and terrorized the station’s employees. Five were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and one suffered from spinal trauma as she attempted to flee. She will spend at least two months in hospital.
Despite our frantic calls, the newly “reformed” police responded to the scene only after a substantial delay. The attackers were in no hurry; they behaved like the official hooligans they were, with the knowledge that they had powerful protectors.
The authorities have pledged to conduct a full investigation, but most Ukrainians would view that promise with great skepticism. Two weeks after the fact, the investigation has yielded no results, despite the attackers being well known to the police. In our country, investigations tend to be more about politics than legal fact.
Ukrainians have shown time and again that we will defend our basic freedoms.
What happened before and after the attacks is as telling about the state of media freedom in Ukraine as the attack itself. The interior minister, whose own television station was among the first to arrive on the scene to cover the incident, has publicly declared that I belong not in parliament but in prison.
I’ve received repeated “offers” to sell the television station at fire sale prices. Control of INTER — and access to its millions of viewers across the country — would give those in power the instruments to control public discourse. And, conveniently, it would rid them of an irritating critic.
After the ashes had cooled and the smoke dispersed, men continued to surround the building. When the international community responded, condemning the attack, the men retreated to the shadows. But the threat remains — not just for me and my ownership of the station, but more importantly for the journalists who work here.
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The climate of fear in Ukraine has intensified. To be sure, we have been facing existential threats over the past few years. An ongoing conflict in the east has led to the dislocation of more than 1 million of our fellow citizens. The “Euromaidan” movement of 2013-2014 led to a change of power, but the tide of corruption has not waned. Many would say it has grown worse. And, unsurprisingly, our economy has been teetering on the brink of collapse.
But despite these worrying trends, Ukrainians had, until now, been reasonably free to voice their discontent on television, in print and on the internet. As a new elite consolidates power, that remaining freedom is now in danger.
It is popular these days to point to Russian propaganda, if not Russian interference in political affairs, as our greatest threat. It looms so large that we forget to consider local factors that undermine our freedom and integrity as a nation. True to this trend, the terrorists who attacked our station accused us of being pro-Russian. This is not true. If it were, why would millions of Ukrainians tune into our news programs every evening?
Ukrainians have shown time and again that we will defend our basic freedoms. We may have grown used to corrupt politicians. Violence and chaos may be the dispiriting features of our “new normal.” But we will not be muzzled without a fight.
If we are to keep alive the hope of integration with the West, we will need the help of those who share our values of democracy and free expression to let the Kiev government know that we are not alone in this fight.
Serhiy Lyovochkin, a member of parliament and a leader of the Opposition Bloc, is a co-owner of INTER television. He was formerly chief of staff to former President Viktor Yanukovych.