by the territorial defence battalion Kryvbas at a checkpoint near Amvrosiivka after crossing the Russian Federation-Ukraine border. They reported having being blind-folded for five days, with their hands tied, ill-treated, threatened and forced to remove their clothes before being released separately at night. Local residents took the journalists to the police, who recorded their complaints and provided them with food and clothing. The chief editor of the Donetsk newspaper “Municipalna Gazeta” was arrested on 3 August by the SBU while leaving Donetsk for Mariupol. It was reported that she was trying to reach Crimea and is accused of supporting terrorism by heading a pro-Russian information unit in Donetsk. She was detained with her 17-year-old son, who was with her at that time. Both were taken to Kyiv where the son was released. According to the ruling of the investigating judge, the journalist is to be held in custody without bail for 60 days, until 4 October, while the pretrial investigation is ongoing. An appeal on this will take place on 21 August. A photojournalist of the International Information Agency RIA Novosti went missing in the Donetsk region on 5 August. His colleagues allege he has been detained by Ukrainian armed forces; however the Government military spokesman has denied this. On 11 August, the police opened an investigation into his disappearance. Media regulation During the period under review, the Government of Ukraine has sought to regulate the media in order to censor and control the growing number of publications and radio and television outlets that are publishing or broadcasting unverified information or one-sided, judgemental reports, especially Russian media broadcast or distributed in Ukraine. On 18 July, the SBU asked the Ukrainian Internet Association for its assistance in limiting access in Ukraine to 24 Internet resources registered outside Ukraine, alleging they promoted violence, ethnic hatred and violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, based on the conclusions of the National Expert Commission for the Protection of Public Morals.134 On 7 August, the head of the Association stated that while supporting the SBU initiative to ensure informational safety in Ukraine, she would not block web-sites without a proper investigation and a court decision for each case. The National Council of TV and radio broadcasting issued a statement on 7 August, demanding that cable TV providers stop broadcasting the Russian channel RBK-TV, because it does not comply with Ukraine law. The decision is based on the results of monitoring that the Council conducted on 25, 29 July and 1, 4 August. The Council has already banned at least 12 Russian channels including “First Channel”, “RTR Planet”, “Russia 24”, “NTV-Mir”, “TV Centre – International”, “Russia 1”, “NTV”, “TNT”, “Petersburg 5”, “Zvezda”, “Ren TV”, and “LifeNews”. Any restrictions on the right to freedom of expression are only permissible to the extent that they are compatible with article 19 (3) of the ICCPR. Launching and supporting initiatives135 that debunk false reports, educate the public on and promote ethical standards (particularly while reporting on conflict situations) are one of the ways to counter disinformation and lowquality reporting regarding the events in the eastern regions of Ukraine without imposing restrictions. 134 The National Expert Commission for the Protection of Public Morals was created in 2003. According to its mandate it has the right to conduct monitoring of the activity of media outlets, as well as companies that organise mass entertainment events, to ensure that they do not popularize products of sexual, erotic content or that contain elements of violence and cruelty. The decision of the National Expert Commission adopted within its competence are mandatory for consideration by central and local governments, the media of all forms, and natural and legal persons. 135 For example, the volunteer initiative “Stop Fake” launched on 2 March 2014. 209 | P a g e