Inteligencia y Seguridad Frente Externo En Profundidad Economia y Finanzas Transparencia
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Frente Externo  
 
07/08/2012 | Victor Yanukovych and the media - Walking the tightrope

The Economist Staff

IT is election season in Ukraine. Parliamentary polls are scheduled for October 28th, and last week marked the official start of campaigning. It also brought a respite for the country's only remaining independent TV channel, TVi: tax evasion charges were formally dropped against Mykola Kniazhytsky, its director.

 

A raid by tax police on the channel's offices on  July 12th drew widespread condemnation from press freedom groups and a statement from the United States envoy to the OSCE, a regional security organisation. Mr Kniazhytsky says American and European Union diplomats in Kiev also applied pressure privately and that attention from the international media, including CNN, helped. This, all agreed, was another example of Ukraine misusing the law to stifle dissent.

Eventually even Victor Yanukovych, the president, voiced his concern: “It is critically important for a democratic country to protect freedom of speech and prevent pressure on media," he declared. Yet it is hard not to feel that what Mr Yanukovych is aiming for is the minimum level of freedom needed to keep international institutions quiet, and no more. With Ukraine still in the doghouse over the jailing of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister (who heads the opposition's list of candidates despite being barred), further evidence of foul play in these polls could lead to visa bans and asset freezes for Mr Yanukovych’s associates. The easing of pressure on TVi would suggest that such threats do not fall on deaf ears.

TVi should survive at least until polling day. The channel is not out of the woods yet, however. It was denied a digital licence last year. Certain cable providers are refusing to carry it. It is easy to see why the channel riles the authorities. Programmes such as Exclamation Mark routinely expose large-scale corruption (English version of one report here), while satirical shows mock the country's leaders. Its independence is guaranteed by an editorial board that includes such luminaries as Poland's Adam Michnik. Crucially, says Mr Kniazhytsky, TVi's owner has no other business interests in Ukraine.

The rest of the country's television output is controlled either by oligarchs close to the government, or directly by the government. As the elections approach, the good news stories multiply. Favourite at the moment is the success of the Euro 2012 football tournament, which Ukraine co-hosted with Poland (though viewers of Ukrainian television could be forgiven for not realising that Poland played a role). Though it failed to attract as many foreign fans as the country had hoped, Euro 2012 won plaudits for its smooth running and good atmosphere.

Opinion polls do show a small boost for the ruling party after the tournament. But Ukrainians remain deeply unsatisfied with their economic situation, and increasingly angry about corruption. For this reason, a channel like TVi genuinely riles the authorities.

Many analysts are convinced that Mr Yanukovych's Party of Regions could not win an election that was truly free and fair. According to Petro Burkovskyy of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Party is walking a tightrope. The polls (and the media climate in which they are held) must be fair enough to avoid sanction. But they must also secure a majority for the ruling team in parliament. The TVi case tested the boundaries - probably not for the last time.

The Economist (Reino Unido)

 



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17/01/2009|
17/01/2009|
17/01/2009|
17/01/2009|
17/01/2009|
17/01/2009|
11/01/2009|
06/12/2008|
06/12/2008|
06/12/2008|
06/12/2008|
23/11/2008|
23/11/2008|
16/11/2008|
16/11/2008|
04/11/2008|
04/11/2008|
03/11/2008|
03/11/2008|
24/10/2008|
24/10/2008|
24/10/2008|
24/10/2008|
15/09/2008|
15/09/2008|
15/09/2008|
15/09/2008|
15/09/2008|
15/09/2008|
06/09/2008|
06/09/2008|
05/09/2008|
05/09/2008|
05/09/2008|
05/09/2008|
01/09/2008|
01/09/2008|
01/09/2008|
01/09/2008|
22/08/2008|
22/08/2008|
17/08/2008|
17/08/2008|
16/08/2008|
16/08/2008|
28/07/2008|
28/07/2008|
28/07/2008|
28/07/2008|
28/07/2008|
28/07/2008|
19/07/2008|
19/07/2008|
24/05/2008|
24/05/2008|
03/05/2008|
03/05/2008|
29/04/2008|
11/02/2008|
05/01/2008|
09/12/2007|
18/11/2007|
10/11/2007|
10/11/2007|
06/11/2007|
06/11/2007|
06/09/2007|
26/08/2007|
25/08/2007|
11/07/2007|
16/06/2007|
16/06/2007|
10/06/2007|
10/06/2007|
19/05/2007|
19/05/2007|
19/05/2007|
19/05/2007|
24/04/2007|
24/04/2007|
14/04/2007|
14/04/2007|
05/04/2007|
05/04/2007|
05/04/2007|
28/02/2007|
28/02/2007|
05/02/2007|
05/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
04/02/2007|
29/01/2007|
29/01/2007|
29/01/2007|
29/01/2007|
11/01/2007|
11/01/2007|
11/01/2007|
11/01/2007|
27/12/2006|
27/12/2006|
27/12/2006|
27/12/2006|
27/12/2006|
27/12/2006|
20/12/2006|
20/12/2006|
17/11/2006|
30/09/2006|
28/07/2006|
12/04/2006|
12/04/2006|
12/04/2006|
06/03/2006|
21/02/2006|
17/02/2006|
31/01/2006|
10/01/2006|
28/12/2005|
31/10/2005|
26/09/2005|
29/08/2005|
11/08/2005|
08/08/2005|
24/06/2005|
24/06/2005|
24/06/2005|
03/04/2005|
03/04/2005|
03/04/2005|
03/04/2005|

ver + notas
 
Center for the Study of the Presidency
Freedom House