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By Vlad Lavrov, Journalist
www.ArtUkraine.com Information Service (ARTUIS)
Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 10, 2004
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KYIV - A large 'Freedom to the Word' rally was held in Kyiv on Tuesday,
March 9, 2004, the day of the 190th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko's birth.
A rough estimate of the number of participants was around 7-8 thousand
people, which made it one of the largest events in terms of attendance
during the past year. Among the organizers of the rally were Viktor
Yushchenko Bloc 'Our Ukraine', the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist
party of Ukraine, as well as the numerous representatives of the mass-media.
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The Column of Protesters Moving Along Volodymyrska Street
ArtUkraine.com Information Service photo
(Click on images to enlarge them)
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The rally's slogan 'Freedom to the Word' refers to the latest attacks on the
freedom of speech in Ukraine, which included shutting down radio stations
Radio Rocks and Kontynent, both of which were known for providing objective
news coverage of political events and rebroadcasting programs by Radio
Liberty/Radio Free Europe, Public Radio, BBC and others.
Among the other victims of attacks on media named at the rally were the
'Silski Visti' newspaper, which was known for its support of the Socialist
Party of Ukraine, and also for having the largest circulation in Ukraine.
The newspapers closure was ordered by the court on the grounds of
anti-Semitism. Also the 5th Channel which is increasingly popular for the
objectivity of its news coverage and whose broadcasting license is
continuously being disputed in courts by the competitors, which is widely
believed to be politically motivated.
At the head of the column of protesters were journalists carrying the
banners with the crossed out names of the persecuted media. The protesters
moved from St. Sophia square towards the Shevchenko monument along
Volodymyrska street, where the rally organizers laid flowers to the monument
of Taras Shevchenko and held a meeting.
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Meeting Held in Front of the Shevchenko Monument
ArtUkraine.com Information Service photo
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The speakers including the poet Dmytro Pavlychko, Member of Parliament
Mykola Tomenko, Yuliya Tymoshenko, Oleksandr Moroz, and Viktor Yushchenko.
Yushchenko pointed out that it was unacceptable for President Kuchma not to
pay homage to Taras Shevchenko on the day of his 190th anniversary but
instead leave the country to visit Brunei and meet with its sultan.
Other prevalent themes at the meeting were the upcoming presidential
elections, political reform, the need for the opposition forces to unite,
and the authorities' desire to eliminate all sources of independent news in
Ukraine.
Yuliya Tymoshenko called the events in the Ukrainian parliament where the
pro-presidential majority and the Communists are pushing for constitutional
reform which would transfer powers of the President to the Prime-Minister
the 'loss of the last hope', since the election of the President were the
last chance for the people to change power. Tymoshenko called on those who
attended the meeting to be ready for a major uprising in case the
authorities manage to go through with the reform.
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In her highly emotional speech Tymoshenko called on the journalists who work
for pro-presidential media to stop being afraid to loose their jobs and to
stop their brainwashing of the people.
Oleksandr Moroz, leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine which along
with the Communists is known for backing the idea of the political reform,
cautiously spoke in support of the reform, saying that the opposition and
the authorities have the same model of the reform in mind, even though their
goals are different.
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Viktor Yushchenko Speaking at the Meeting
ArtUkraine.com Information Service photo
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Viktor Yushchenko, leader of 'Our Ukraine' bloc called the proposed
political reform a coup with a single goal to make president Kuchma a
prime-minister who would have all the power transferred to him.
Yushchenko also said that 3 weeks ago 'Our Ukraine' proposed the manifesto
of unity to the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc and the Socialist Party of Ukraine.
So far, a full agreement has been reached only with Yuliya Tymoshenko's
bloc. There was the hope that the Socialists still would join them.
The meeting unanimously passed a resolution at the end of the meeting which
declared the awful state of freedom of speech in Ukraine saying that the
authorities do not want an objective mass-media or Ukrainian citizens who
think independently. "The authorities are afraid of a public debate with the
opposition, afraid of its own people and do all they can to suppress free
thinking" [quote from Ukrayinska Pravda, www.pravda.com.ua].
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The meeting ended with calls on the three opposition forces to unite. The
call were heard both from the podium and from the crowd. After the meeting
there was the concert of Ukrainian rock-musicians who support the
opposition.
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Journalists of the 5th Channel Andriy Shevchenko (L) and Roman Skrypin
ArtUkraine.com Information Service photo
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Media Anaylyst Danylo Yanevsky (M)
ArtUkraine.com Information Service photo
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