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An Honorable Sixth Place

12 May, 00:00

By Kostiantyn RYLIOV, The Day Somehow the world seldom hears of our tremendous achievements. They hear only the biggest events. The first really big one was corruption. Everyone knows Ukraine is teeming with it and no one is surprised any more. Pavlo Lazarenko? A poet wrote once that "his star rose then died, and we still see its light." Then suddenly the President made headlines. It appears that not only the world-famous boxing brothers Klychko can deliver shattering blows. Our President can, too, mainly using the press as a punching bag. And the sound of his blows is so strong it was heard overseas.

On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, the New York Committee to Protect Journalists awarded Leonid Kuchma the title of 1998 Enemy of the Press, placing him sixth on the list, quite close to Fidel Castro and Jiang Zemin. They say he has used all kinds of taxes and the courts against the press, against those outlets opposed to him, that is.

Whether because of his number over halfway down the list or for other reasons, the fact remains that Mr. Kuchma was chagrined by the news and decided to handle the New York Committee precisely the way he does dissenting publications at home, and that he will sue the Committee. Presidential Press (from "to pressure") Secretary Oleksandr Martynenko tried to refute "the inaccurate information leading to the President's name being put on the list."

He wanted everyone to know the truth. Also to teach all those concerned a lesson they would long remember, or at least shift the President's position on the list. It all seems a little insulting.

Newspaper output №:

№17, (1999)

Section

Day After Day