Sergiy Tomilenko, the President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), has met with German politician / director and documentarian / former member of the European Parliament from Germany / deputy head of the supervisory board of the authoritative European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Rebecca Harms. She is a great friend of Ukraine who actively supports Ukrainian journalists.
Currently, Harms is on a visit in Ukraine, hoping to better learn about events in the public and media sector of our country.
Sergiy Tomilenko gave Rebecca Harms a personal gift from the Crimean journalist / NUJU secretary Mykola Semena, the book called Crimean Report, which was published in English. The book was signed by the author especially for Harms.
“It was thanks to Rebecca, who lobbied for the adoption of a special resolution in the European Parliament, that we freed Mykola, who was persecuted by the Russian occupation authorities. Also, the resolution prepared by Rebecca Harms had a positive impact on the fate of many Crimean Tatar activists in Crimea,” says Sergiy Tomilenko.
Rebecca Harms noted she was extremely touched by the gift from the NUJU. “It is of great importance to me that Mykola Semena, one of those who could have become a victim of the Russian regime, is now free. The words of thanks from this extraordinary person are very touching,” said Harms.
Harms thanked for the gift and expressed her hope to meet Mykola Semena in the near future. In turn, the NUJU President promised to arrange a meeting with many authoritative Ukrainian journalists.
Sergiy Tomilenko told Rebecca Harms about the activities of the NUJU Public Solidarity Centers, about the Union’s cooperation with international partners in helping Ukrainian journalists. The priority direction in this cooperation is currently the revival of local newspapers in the de-occupied and front-line territories of Ukraine. So far, thanks to this work, printing of a total of 15 newspapers has been ensured. Sergiy Tomilenko noted that the systematic support of such editorial offices can become a standalone program in the activity of European financial donors.
The NUJU President also informed Rebecca Harms about the recently adopted law On Media in Ukraine, stressing that the journalist community, while welcoming the implementation of the relevant EU Directive in this law, at the same time believes that such a large-scale reform in the field of media should be implemented in an open dialogue with representatives of the industry – journalists and mass media managers. Meanwhile, the media community in Ukraine is currently focused on carrying out professional activities, countering Russian propaganda, highlighting the resistance of Ukrainians to mass aggression, and also, on the survival of the media industry in the conditions of the economic crisis caused by the war.
Rebecca Harms noted that freedom of speech in Ukraine, despite the circumstances of the war, must be preserved, and international European institutions will monitor the state of affairs with the rights of journalists and protect media workers and mass media companies.
In the end, Harms emphasized that she really roots for Ukraine, wishes it victory and hopes to visit our country again in February to mark the sad anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion with the Ukrainians.
“I won’t find a place for myself either in Berlin or in another German city. On February 24, I have to be here in Ukraine, with the Ukrainians,” said Rebecca Harms.
NUJU Information Service
