Moratorium on Media Inspections

President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma gave a commitment to introduce a moratorium on inspecting the mass media during the election campaign. This decision was made after representatives of the Network Television and Radio Broadcasters’ Association turned to the president with a request to this effect, Interfax Ukraine reports referring to the head of state’s press service. “Considering the importance of the electronic mass media in Ukraine’s social life, implementing the freedom of speech, and people’s right to obtain information, along with other constitutional rights and freedoms of the citizens, we turn to you with a request to forbid conducting inspections of the mass media by any oversight bodies, in part, the tax service and law enforcement bodies,” reads the letter of the Association representatives. The president charged the Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Tax Administration, and Ministry on Emergency Situations with a commission to establish this moratorium.