Press freedom in the eastern partnership countries

From The Sacramento Bee: STRASBOURG, November 21, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — At a seminar on press freedom organised in the European Parliament in Strasbourg by the Brussels based Foundation for Democracy and Governance, fears were expressed of a crackdown on press freedom in Ukraine.

“It is important that we look beyond the results of the Vilnius Summit, and ensure that there is full freedom of the press; this is a cornerstone of democracy and a fundamental right,” a director of the Foundation said. “Looking ahead to the presidential election campaign, it is important that the electorate have good, reliable and objective sources of information and news to help them to make informed choices,” he went on to say.

Hosted by Italian EPP Member Fabrizio Bertot MEP, the meeting heard how the regional Odessa-based TV station ATV had recently been closed down by the Ukrainian Government.

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