IMI experts record 11 crimes against freedom of speech in Ukraine in May

In May, experts with Ukraine's Institute of Mass Information (IMI) recorded 11 crimes against freedom of speech in Ukraine, four of them committed by Russia against Ukrainian media and journalists.

That's according to the monthly monitoring "Freedom of Speech Barometer" conducted by the Institute of Mass Information, Ukrinform reports.

"The crimes against media committed by Russia include murder and abduction of journalists, cybercrimes. At the same time, IMI recorded seven freedom of speech violations for which Ukrainian citizens are responsible. These include assault, obstruction and cyberattacks," the report reads.

In May, IMI recorded the deaths of six more media workers. One journalist, Arman Soldin, died while reporting, and five more were killed in action while defending Ukraine from the occupiers.

Arman Soldin, video reporter for Agence France-Presse (AFP), was killed by a rocket strike in Ukraine's east on May 9.

Volodymyr Mukan, soldier who used to be a journalist and editor for the "Hazeta Po-Ukrainsky", the "Kraina" magazine, and the Gazeta.ua website before the full-scale war, was killed while performing a combat mission in Bakhmut on April 23, 2023.

Denys Kryvy, nature photographer and soldier, was killed near Bakhmut while trying to rescue his wounded comrades in the spring of 2023.

Ivan Kuzminsky, soldier and director at the TV channel for children "Malyatko TV", was killed in a battle with the Russian occupiers near Dibrova, Luhansk oblast, on May 17, 2023.

Yevheniy Osievsky, soldier, columnist for the popular science magazine "Kunsht" and the social criticism magazine "Commons", was killed in a battle near Bakhmut on May 22, 2023.

Victor Petrov, soldier, journalist and activist from Lviv, was killed in action in Ukraine's east on May 29, 2023.

In total, Russia's armed aggression resulted in the death of 61 media workers in Ukraine. Of those, 10 died while reporting and 51 died as combatants or were killed by Russian shelling.

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