Mediarukh calls on Zelenskyy to apply NSDC sanctions against Portnov - statement
Mediarukh, media and public organizations call on the President of Ukraine to submit proposals to the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against the former deputy head of the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, Andrii Portnov.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in their joint statement.
As noted, Mediarukh supports a petition to the Cabinet of Ministers calling for the imposition of NSDC sanctions against Portnov.
In case of refusal, the media workers ask to provide the public with a reasonable explanation of the reasons for this decision.
Mediarukh also appeals to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the High Council of Justice to ensure transparency and objectivity in the consideration of cases involving public figures such as Andrii Portnov.
"We ask that the judicial decisions in these cases be reviewed for their compliance with the standards of justice and judicial ethics. Any possible influence on the judicial system, abuse or violation of justice standards should be investigated, assessed accordingly and immediately stopped," the statement reads.
In addition, the initiators of the statement recalled that the United States had imposed sanctions on Portnov, justifying this by his involvement in corrupt practices aimed at controlling the Ukrainian judiciary.
However, according to the statement, Ukraine has not yet imposed any sanctions on Portnov, despite numerous journalistic investigations that indicate his possible continued influence on the Ukrainian judiciary.
At the same time, Yaroslava Volvach, head of the investigation department at Hromadske and a representative of the Mediarukh, has already submitted a petition to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine calling for the imposition of NSDC sanctions on Andrii Portnov.
We publish the full text of the statement:
"We, the members of the Mediarukh, as well as Ukrainian media and civil society organizations, express our deep concern that Ukrainian courts have repeatedly upheld the lawsuits filed by former People's Deputy Andrii Portnov against media and civil society organizations. This is despite the existence of serious grounds for criticizing his activities.
- In 2021, the United States of America imposed sanctions on Andrii Portnov, justifying this by his involvement in corrupt practices aimed at controlling the Ukrainian judiciary. A statement from the US Treasury Department noted that Portnov influenced judicial legislation, facilitated the appointment of loyal officials to high positions in the judiciary, and used bribery to achieve his goals.
- From 2010 to 2014, Andrii Portnov held key positions in the Administration of President Viktor Yanukovych, including the adoption of the so-called "January 16 laws" that violated citizens' rights, restricted freedoms and recognized civil society as "extremists" and "foreign agents".
Despite numerous journalistic investigations that indicate that Andrii Portnov may still have influence on the Ukrainian judicial system, Ukraine has not yet imposed any sanctions on him.
Yaroslava Volvach, Head of Investigations at Hromadske and a representative of the Mediarukh , has already submitted a petition to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine calling for the imposition of NSDC sanctions on Andrii Portnov.
"I would like to publish the text of the petition on the President's website, but unfortunately, they refused to publish my petition four times, citing its ‘non-compliance with the established requirements.’ Instead, for some reason, the government recognized a similar text as meeting all the standards," the journalist explained.
The Mediarukh supports this petition and calls on the President of Ukraine, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions", to submit proposals for the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against Andriy Portnov. In the event of a refusal, we ask that the public be provided with a reasoned explanation of the reasons for this decision.
The Mediarukh also appeals to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the High Council of Justice to ensure transparency and objectivity in the consideration of cases involving public figures such as Andrii Portnov. We ask that the judicial decisions in these cases be reviewed for compliance with the standards of justice and judicial ethics. Any possible impact on the judicial system, abuse or violation of justice standards should be investigated, appropriately assessed and immediately stopped."
For reference: Mediarukh is a community that brings together journalists from leading Ukrainian media, investigative journalists and experts from media NGOs. Mediarukh was launched on February 5, 2019.
