US, EU ‘Should Make Clear’ to Kiev Banning Journalists Inappropriate

The United States and the European Union (EU) should make Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko understand that sanctioning journalists is inappropriate, Human Rights Watch said in a release on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Ukraine has sanctioned more than 40 journalists and bloggers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Latvia and Russia. sanctions.

"The EU, its member states, and the United States government should make clear to Poroshenko that they do not support the arbitrary banning of journalists," Human Rights Watch Europe and Central Asia researcher Yulia Gorbunova stated.

They need to make Poroshenko understand, Gorbunova argued, that the move to sanction journalists "is not an appropriate response."

Moreover, Kiev also needs to understand keeping journalists out of the country is not something the EU and US support, as such an approach is a "terrible blow for media freedom in Ukraine," she explained.

Whatever the disagreement the Ukrainian government may have with news coverage, Gorbunova added, the sanctions move "shows blatant disregard for freedom of expression."

On Wednesday, Poroshenko ordered to ban nearly 400 people, including several high-ranking individuals and journalists from entering Ukraine for one year because of their alleged links to one of the sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

A number of foreign media outlets and organizations, including the BBC, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have condemned Kiev’s move, saying it violates media freedom.

Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President’s Press Secretary Svyatoslav Tseholko said the British, German and Spanish journalists had been removed from the sanctions list.