In 2021, NSDC imposes sanctions against Medvedchuk's channels in violation of the rule of law

In February 2021, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) imposed sanctions against TV channels 112, ZIK, and NewsOne in violation of the principle of the rule of law, according to Yuliya Kazdobina, the head of the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies.

She wrote about this in an article published on the website of the European Pravda online media outlet.

In her material, she analyzes the measures taken by the EU authorities to limit russian disinformation and related sanctions against individuals and organizations.

For comparison, Kazdobina mentioned the NSDC's decision on sanctions in relation to the above-mentioned channels, which at the time belonged to Taras Kozak, a member of the Verkhovna Rada from the Opposition Platform and were considered close to another MP from the Opposition Platform, the godfather of Vladimir Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk.

The expert believes that there are significant legal issues regarding this decision.

"In Ukraine, at the time of the introduction of sanctions against Kozak, there was no ban on financing from the russian federation.

So, from a legal point of view, it is not clear what the owner of these channels has violated. And if the ban existed, the violation, which poses a threat to national security, should be considered within the framework of the criminal process because Mr. Kozak is a citizen of Ukraine," Kazdobina emphasizes.

She notes that Kozak was included in the sanctions list and deprived of a wide range of rights without investigation and trial.

"Although few people doubted the need for restrictive measures with Medvedchuk's channels, this approach is problematic from the point of view of the rule of law. And this can not only become a reason for a lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the restoration of violated rights but also be a problem on Ukraine's path to the EU," concludes the head of the foundation.

The European authorities approached this problem in a different way - European officials forbade receiving funding from russian sources, and based on this decision, European law enforcement officers, based on the results of the investigation and trial, will bring to justice violators of the clearly established ban.

Yuliya Kazdobina is the head of the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies. This public organization deals with security issues in the information field. She is also a leading expert of the analytical center Foreign Policy Council Ukrainian Prism. She cooperates with the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies. It is also published in well-known Ukrainian media, such as European Pravda online media outlet, Detector Media, and Vox Ukraine.

From 2016 to 2019, she worked as an adviser to the Minister of Information Policy, Yurii Stets. She coordinated the development of the government's information strategy for Crimea, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in December 2018.

Until July 2014, she worked as an analyst at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.

As earlier reported, on February 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented the decision of the NSDC to impose sanctions against Rada deputy Taras Kozak (Opposition Platform – For Life faction) and informational TV channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, and ZIK. Sanctions include cancellation of TV channel licenses. TV channels stopped working.

At the same time, the representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on media freedom, Teresa Ribeiro, expressed concern about these sanctions. She noted that it is necessary to find a balanced solution to combat propaganda, which will preserve media pluralism.

To request a correction, please send an email.