“The release of a journalist is always positive, and I welcome that Kirill Vyshinsky is finally free after such a long and difficult pre-trial detention,” said Désir, “I thank him for his kind words on the intervention of my Office in his case, and I call for all charges against him to be dropped at the next hearing set for 16 September.” Today, the Appeals Court of Kyiv ruled that Vyshinsky was set free from pre-trial detention under personal obligation to attend his trial and inform the court on his whereabouts and work, as well as to refrain from contacting witnesses in his case. The Representative previously intervened with the Ukrainian authorities to release him, recalling that “journalists should not under any circumstances be imprisoned for their journalistic work and must have the right to freely express opinions and dissenting views, even those that could be considered controversial.” In July 2018, he was presented with additional charges and his pre-trial detention was extended several times. In May 2018, the Ukrainian security services raided the office of RIA Novosti Ukraina and arrested Vyshinsky on charges of high treason. “I called for his release and intervened on his behalf numerous times with the Ukrainian authorities.” “I welcome the release of RIA Novosti Ukraina journalist Kirill Vyshinsky today in Kyiv,” said Désir. VIENNA, 28 August 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed today’s court ruling in Ukraine to release from pre-trial detention journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, the chief of the RIA Novosti Ukraina office in Kyiv.
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