On July 1, a meeting of the MFA's Advisory Council on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, chaired by Deputy Minister Mariana Betsa, on the topic: "Freedom of expression and journalist safety, countering disinformation: international cooperation and national protection mechanisms."
The event was attended by Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturaiev, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Freedom of Speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chair of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting Olha Herasym'yuk, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine for European Integration Natalia Movshovich, representatives of central executive bodies, international organisations, the diplomatic corps accredited in Ukraine, the media community, human rights and civil society organisations.
Participants of the meeting strongly condemned the ongoing crimes of the Russian Federation against Ukrainian journalists, media workers and media infrastructure, as well as the systematic suppression of independent journalism in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine through censorship, forced information control, persecution, torture, unlawful detention and imprisonment, and the imposition of state propaganda.
"Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression, 132 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been killed. Behind these figures are real human lives. The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian captivity is a tragic testament to the fact that Russia persecutes journalists specifically for their professional work and their commitment to speaking the truth. The death of writer and human rights defender Viktoria Amelina, who documented Russian war crimes and was killed following a missile strike on Kramatorsk, serves as a reminder that all those who record the truth about this war are under threat — journalists, documentarians, human rights defenders, authors and civil society representatives. The aggressor state must be held accountable for the crimes it has committed," Mariana Betsa stressed.
In her address, the Deputy Minister underscored that freedom of expression, independent media and journalist safety are among the fundamental democratic values that Ukraine is defending amid Russia's full-scale aggression.
The diplomat noted that Ukraine is working to heighten the attention of UN member states to the threats that disinformation poses to international peace and security. "The aggressor is attempting to undermine security and defence policies both in Ukraine and in partner countries. That is why we are discussing relevant initiatives with our partners at the UN General Assembly in New York," Mariana Betsa emphasised.
Opening remarks were also delivered by Chair of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting Olha Herasym'yuk, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu, and UNESCO Deputy Director-General Maria Gabriel in a video address. The speakers focused on international standards in the field of media freedom and journalist safety, and stressed the importance of effective mechanisms for preventing and countering existing and emerging threats, protecting journalists and responding to crimes against media workers.
During the plenary discussion and expert panels, addresses were delivered by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee Chairs Mykyta Poturaiev and Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the leadership of the UN system in Ukraine, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, a representative of the OSCE Chairmanship — the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the leadership of the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, the embassies of Lithuania, Spain and Romania, as well as civil society representatives.
Following the meeting, participants confirmed their readiness to deepen international and inter-agency cooperation with the aim of improving mechanisms for the protection of freedom of expression and journalist safety, supporting independent media, ensuring accountability of the aggressor state for crimes against media workers, and jointly countering disinformation as a tool for violating human rights and undermining international peace and security, within the framework of strengthening Ukraine's democratic resilience.