Silent protest at media event

A DOZEN Ukrainian journalists stood and raised anti-censorship banners when president Viktor Yanukovich hailed his country’s march to media freedom at the World Newspaper Congress in Kiev yesterday.

“Ukraine has made its way, without exaggeration, from total censorship to an open society,” he told the conference as his security guards ripped banners saying “Stop censorship” from protesters’ hands.

Mr Yanukovich did not react to the silent protest. Political opponents and rights watchdogs have accused him of cracking down on media freedom since coming to power in 2010.