Ukrainian media lawyers enriched their knowledge at the European institutions in Strasbourg
22 November 2011 Year
Recently Media Law Institute (MLI, www.medialaw.kiev.ua) in partnership
with International Media Support (IMS, www.i-m-s.dk) organized a study
visit for 15 selected media lawyers from Ukraine to international institutions and
non-governmental organizations, situated in Strasbourg, France.
MLI selected the most active students of its annual
International Media Law Summer Schools, who are experienced in legal issues of
the freedom of expression and media. The aim of their visit to Strasbourg was
to broaden their professional knowledge and skills by direct communication with
the representatives of European organizations, dealing with freedom of
expression.
During November 13-18, 2011, the
group visited the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the European
Court of Human Rights, the European Ombudsman and the European Audiovisual
Observatory. The participants have also met Ms. Hanna Yudkivska, the Ukrainian
judge of the ECHR.
The presentations and discussions within the said visits dealt with the
international standards of the freedom of speech and information protection,
the practical aspects of the institutions’ work, proceedings in the court cases
etc.
One of the most interesting events was the attendance
of the ECHR hearing in the case Mouvement
Raelien Suisse v. Switzerland. This case gathered the unique audience of
more than 500 people, who watched the hearing. The Ukrainian group had an opportunity
to observe all the proceeding and share their views on the case circumstances.
Everybody in the group expressed their satisfaction with the study visit. Exploration
of the European standards and practices of freedom of speech protection is a
matter of big importance for Ukrainian media lawyers. Hopefully, this new
knowledge will help them achieve greater success in their future work.
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