"Stop Censorship!" movement expresses deep concern over the activity of Ukrainian authorities, in particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and personally ex-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, the Security Service of Ukraine, The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Valeriya Lutkovska, National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, regarding the rescue of Ukrainian citizen and journalist Anhar Kochneva whose life has been in grave danger for several months already.

Anhar Kochneva, who collaborated with a number of Russian and Ukrainian media, was taken hostage in Syria on October 9, 2012. The journalist acted as an active supporter of Bashar Assad government. In particular, she strongly expressed herself against rebels in her diary and social networks.

Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has repeatedly stated that they were negotiating about her release. However, this information has not been confirmed. It has been a week (since 16th December), that the group which detained Kochneva has declared that "the Ukrainian side had failed communication." While Kochneva is threatened to be executed on December 26, 2012.

"Stop Censorship!" movement condemns passiveness of the Ukrainian authorities, the direct commitment of which is to protect the interests of Ukrainian citizens abroad. This position disgraces Ukraine in front of the whole world, and casts great doubt on the interest of Ukrainian authorities to protect the rights and interests of their fellow citizens.

We demand from the Ukrainian authorities, in particular the newly appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Leonid Kozhara, the Head of the Security Service Igor Kalinin, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Valeriya Lutkovska, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andrii Klyuev, to make a real effort to provide the quality negotiation process and rescue Anhar Kochneva from the captivity. We urge the Ukrainian MPs and Head of the Government Mykola Azarov to control this issue.

We also appeal to the embassies of France, Great Britain, the U.S. and the EU Delegation, as these three countries, together with the EU have officially recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and its leader Ahmad Mouaz Al-Khatib Al-Hasani as an authorized representative of the Syrian people. We ask them to remind the Coalition about the great importance of respect of fundamental rights and freedoms, of adherence to international standards, and help to release Anhar Kochneva from captivity.

We also appeal to the Free Syrian Army and recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to release Anhar Kochneva and to ensure her security in accordance with international norms.

For editors:

Civil movement Stop Censorship! was founded on May, 21, 2010. The movement is informal journalist association, created as a response to pressures on freedom of speech in Ukraine.

This initiative of Ukrainian journalists and Media NGOs has aim to protect freedom of speech, prevent establishing of censorship in Ukraine, to make impossible causing obstruction to professional activities of  journalists and violation of professional standards in covering socio political issue.

Civil movement Stop Censorship! doesn't support any political force and isn't funded by political parties. 

To learn more or join civil movement Stop Censorship! you can at /news/article/53128/2010-05-22-pripiniti-tisk-na-zhurnalistiv-ne-dopustiti-represii/

The blog of civil movement Stop Censorship!: http://stopcensorship.wordpress.com and at Twitter: http://twitter.com/Stopcensorship