An international media watchdog urged Ukrainian lawmakers Wednesday to reject a bill that would make defamation a crime, saying it could "threaten the very existence of independent journalism." This week, Ukraine's parliament, dominated by President
Viktor Yanukovych's allies, tentatively approved a bill that would make defamation punishable by up to five years in prison, restoring a Soviet-era practice that Ukraine abolished 11 years ago. Currently, alleged libel can result in only a civil lawsuit, and journalists who lose would just face fines. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday that "such a return to the past would have a major impact on freedom of information in Ukraine. Journalists already have to confront many dangers and an increase in self-censorship inside news organizations." The United States and other Western governments say moves to curb media criticism inside Ukraine form part of a gradual backsliding on democracy and a trend toward greater authoritarianism in the country since Yanukovych came to power in February 2010.
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