MinCulture accounts for hostile acts toward UOJ, – human rights defender

President of NGO Public Advocacy Oleg Denisov

Such an opinion was voiced by Head of NGO Public Advocacy Oleg Denisov with regard to the statement on “confrontational rhetoric in publications on the site of the Union of Orthodox Journalists”, placed on the site of the governmental body. The human rights defender told about it in his video address.

The Head of the NGO noted that not so long ago, attacks were committed against the UOJ by the so-called radical organizations.

"For the Ministry of Culture it should be obvious that the UOJ is subjected to pressure and aggressive actions for its professional activities, therefore, when making any statements with regard to this organization, the Ministry must weigh its rhetoric," the human rights activist said in his address.

Oleg Denisov, referring to international law and quoting the UN report on violations in Ukraine, stressed the responsibility of the state for human rights violations.

"It is the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine that is responsible for probable further acts of aggression against the Union of Orthodox Journalists, which is labeled by the Ministry as a certain unfriendly organization. The state body has no right to presume hate speech," the head of the human rights organization said.

The human rights activist mentioned that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had already designated this organization as a victim of aggressive attacks, and realizing that journalists cover events in the sphere of religion, the Ministry of Culture should not only refrain from such statements, but also give clear signs to society, supporting the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

According to the Head of Public Advocacy, some points of the statement of the Ministry of Culture probably testify to the incompetence of its employees.

"The Ministry of Culture accuses journalists of exacerbating confrontational rhetoric. But this is not only the right, but also the responsibility of journalists, when their publications concern hot-button issues, Oleg Denisov is convinced. “Responses to "such cases" are not within the competence of the Ministry of Culture. If it believes the UOJ to commit any offense, then the response must be carried out by ... law enforcement agencies. By assuming wrong powers the Ministry poses new risks for the UOJ."

Speaking about the UOJ publication from the eyewitness’s account about the conflict in Katerinovka, the human rights activist noted, "We monitored the situation – there really were facts of beating believers, including seminarians, on the part of government agencies. This is a serious violation of international law, and we have made a report on human rights at the OSCE. Journalists of the UOJ, in our opinion, highlighted the conflict situation in Katerinovka objectively."

"Journalistic criticism has far wider boundaries than it may seem to the Ministry of Culture," he emphasizes. “In this case, the Ministry of Culture should refrain from this kind of criticism – this is not a state position. Moreover, this is a marker position, when journalists cover the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and, from the point of view of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, it is wrong, but this is the right of journalists to their usual work."

"I would like to recommend that the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine avoid such statements because they do not increase the country's credibility among the international community and testify to the incompetence of those employees who produce them," concluded the President of NGO Public Advocacy.

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