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# In defence of freedom of expression
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/in-defence-of-freedom-of-expression/
- Published: 2013-12-01T15:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-22T09:11:31.000Z
- Description: openDemocracy Russia joins Europe's leading journals in condemning the ongoing violence and provocations in Ukraine.
- Author: Editors of OpenDemocracy Russia
- Tags: Europe, #Migrated, Ukraine, oD Russia, #en, #Import 2026-04-09 15:31, #appended-excerpt

We, as representatives of Europe's leading cultural and opinion journals gathered in Oslo at the 25th Eurozine meeting, strongly condemn the unjustified and unprovoked use of force to limit freedom of expression. Early Saturday morning, non-violent demonstrators in Kyiv, Ukraine were beaten by masked riot police. 

The use of force rarely prevails. We affirm this simple truth today as the Ukrainian public stands threatened by violence. The lack of a clear and united response not only hurts the Ukrainian people but undermines democratic values and institutions. In an integrated world there should be no peripheries. Today, Ukraine is at the centre of Europe. 

Regardless of our ideological standpoints or political involvement, we strongly support the value of public debate and dialogue. 

Therefore we call on all democratic institutions to support the rights of protesters to assemble freely and express their opinion in the public sphere.

*Signed in Oslo, at the 25th European Meeting of Cultural Journals on the subject “Making a Difference. Opinion, debate and activism in the public sphere”, Nov 30th, 2013.*

Oliver Carroll, Magnus Nome, *openDemocracy* (United Kingdom)

Carl Henrik Fredriksson *Eurozine* (Sweden/Austria)

Samuel Abraham *Kritika & Kontext* (Slovakia)

Emica Antončić *Dialogi* (Slovenia)

Carlos Benguigui *Sens Public* (France)

Nadine Blanchard *Eurozine* (Germany/Austria)

George Blecher, *Writer* (USA)

Mika Buljevic *Booksa Kulturtreger* (Croatia)

Jill Cousins *Europeana Foundation* (UK/Netherlands)

Göran Dahlberg *Glänta* (Sweden)

Carole Dely *Sens Public* (France)

Osman Denitztekin *Varlik* (Turkey)

Slavenka Drakulic Writer (Sweden/Croatia)

Marc Duenas Transfer (Catalonia)

Walter Famler Wespennest(Austria)

Asle Finnset *STREK magazine* (Norway)

Rasmus Fleischer *copyriot* (Sweden)

Oksana Forostyna *Krytyka* (Ukraine)

Carl Forsberg *Nätverkstan* (Sweden)

Andrea Fredriksson-Zederbauer*Wespennest* (Austria)

Dessy Gavrilova *Time to Talk, Red House* (Bulgaria)

Filippo Giannuzzi *Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vagno* (Italy)

Ansgar Gilster Osteuropa (Germany)

Kalle Hein *Akadeemia* (Estonia)

Christian Höller *Springerin* (Austria)

Eva Karadi *Magyar Lettre Internationale* (Hungary)

Martti-Tapio Kuuskoski *Nuori Voima* (Finland)

Christoph Laimer *dérive* (Austria)

Thomas Lemaigre *La Revue nouvelle* (Belgium)

Irena Maryniak *Writer and translator* (UK)

Trpimir Matasović *Zarez* (Croatia)

Estera Miočić *Lettera internazionale* (Italy)

Katerina Mishchenko *Prostory* (Ukraine)

Stefan Mörchen *Mittelweg 36* (Germany)

Klaus Nellen*Transit/IWM* (Austria)

Remi Nilsen*Le Monde diplomatique (Oslo)* (Norway)

Janne Nygård Syn *og Segn* (Norway)

Renata Obadálková *RozRazil* (Czech Republic)

Marc-Olivier Padis *Esprit* (France)

Antonia Plessing *Eurozine* (Austria)

Wojciech Przybylski *Res Publica Nowa* (Poland)

Elke Rauth *dérive* (Austria)

Adam Reichardt *New Eastern Europe* (Poland)

Iwona Reichardt *New Eastern Europe* (Poland)

Almantas Samalavicius *Kulturos barai*  (Lithuania)

Obrad Savic *Belgrade Circle Journal* (Serbia)

Thorsten Schilling *Federal Agency for Civic Education* (Germany)

Isabelle Schwarz (Netherlands)

Marek Seckar *Host* (Czech Republic)

Paul Stepan *Eurozine* (Austria)

János Széky *Élet és Irodalom* (Hungary)

Märt Väljataga *Vikerkaar* (Estonia)

Boris Vezjak *Dialogi* (Slovenia)

Judith Vidal-Hall *Publisher* (UK)

Gottfried Wagner (Austria)

Simon Worthington *Mute* (UK)

Gaby Zipfel *Hamburger Institut für Sozialwissenschaften* (Germany)

Mykola Riabchuk *Krytyka* (Ukraine)

Karolina Wigura Kultura *Liberalna* (Poland)

Zuzana Wienk Aliancia *Fair-play* (Slovakia)

Tatiana Zhurzhenko *University of Vienna* (Austria)

openDemocracy Russia joins Europe's leading journals in condemning the ongoing violence and provocations in Ukraine.