OSCE Media Freedom Representative reiterates his call on Ukrainian authorities to respect journalists’ right of confidentiality of sources

VIENNA, 20 February 2019 – Following the court decision in Kyiv ordering the disclosure of documents of the news portal Novoe Vremya, including the correspondence of one of its journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today reiterated his call on the Ukrainian authorities to respect the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources.

On 4 February, the Pechersky District Court authorized the Prosecutor-General’s Office to access certain documents belonging to the publishing house Media-DK, which owns Novoe Vremya. The court also ordered access to some internal e-mail correspondence between the media outlet and its journalist Ivan Verstyuk. Reportedly, the judicial ruling relates to an alleged breach of the secrecy of a criminal investigation following an article published by Verstyuk in Novoe Vremya in 2016 on a corruption case involving one of the then high-level prosecutors.

“The right of journalists to protect confidential sources is key to free press and investigative journalism,” Désir said. “I call on the authorities to respect this confidentiality, especially when journalists report on issues of public interest.”

Previously, Désir expressed his concern regarding earlier decisions by the authorities forcing journalists to disclose their confidential sources in Ukraine (see https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/392555 and https://twitter.com/OSCE_RFoM/status/1037638069564973057).

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.