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Mustafa NayemUkrainian politician, journalist
Date of Birth: 28.06.1981
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Mustafa Nayem: A Prominent Ukrainian Politician and Journalist
- Journalistic Career
- Role in the Euromaidan Revolution
- Political Career
- Incidents and Controversies
- Awards and Recognition
- Family
Mustafa Nayem: A Prominent Ukrainian Politician and Journalist
Early Life and EducationMustafa Nayem was born on June 28, 1981, in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father, Muhammad Naim, was the Deputy Minister of Education in Afghanistan in 1976. His mother, Latifa Riza, was a mathematics teacher. In 1989, his father moved the family to Moscow, where Mustafa Nayem completed his primary education. In 1991, he relocated to Kyiv, Ukraine, with his father and his stepmother, Valentina Kolechko.
Nayem received his bachelor's degree in informational and measurement engineering from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 2004. In 2013, he graduated from the International Academy of Journalism Intajour in Hamburg, Germany. He also attended the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program at Stanford University in 2014.
Journalistic Career
Nayem began his journalistic career in 2004 as a correspondent for the news agency "Context Media." From 2005 to 2007, he was a correspondent for the Ukrainian edition of the Russian newspaper "Kommersant." He joined the online news outlet "Ukrayinska Pravda" in 2006 as a correspondent and investigative journalist.
In 2007, Nayem became an editor and special correspondent for the "Freedom of Savik Shuster" program on the "Inter" TV channel, which later moved to "Ukraina" TV channel and changed its name to "Shuster LIVE." He also led his own analysis program, "After Live," on the "First National" channel from 2011 to 2012.
In 2011, Nayem became the host of the daily news program "Today. About the Main" on the "TVi" channel, where he interviewed prominent figures on topical issues. He also hosted the talk show "Today About the Main" on "TVi" in 2012.
Role in the Euromaidan Revolution
Mustafa Nayem played a significant role in the Euromaidan Revolution. On November 21, 2013, he was among the first to call on Ukrainians to gather at Independence Square, sparking the start of the protests. During the protests, Nayem co-authored a book with Yuriy Lutsenko, "On Both Sides of the Barbed Wire," based on Lutsenko's experiences as a political prisoner.
Political Career
Inspired by his experiences in Stanford, Nayem decided to enter politics. In 2014, he ran for parliament on the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" list with Serhiy Leshchenko and Svitlana Zalishchuk. They were all elected to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament).
Nayem served as the Vice-Chair of the Poroshenko Bloc parliamentary faction. He was a member of the "Eurooptimists" parliamentary group and became the official curator of the creation of the patrol police in the Zakarpattia Oblast.
In 2016, Nayem joined the Democratic Alliance political party and was elected to its Political Council. In 2019, he withdrew from the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" faction alongside Leshchenko and Zalishchuk.
Incidents and Controversies
In 2010, Nayem was detained by police due to his Afghan ethnicity. He later wrote an article condemning the incident and calling for the officer to be fired. In 2012, he alleged that he was assaulted by security guards after the guards' vehicle clipped his motorcycle.
In 2017, Nayem sparked controversy by suggesting that internally displaced persons who supported separatists should be denied voting rights in local elections in eastern Ukraine.
Awards and Recognition
In 2010, Nayem received the "Progress in Journalism" award named after Alexander Krivenko.
Family
Mustafa Nayem has a brother, Massi, and a sister, Mariam. His father, Muhammad Naim, died in 2009. His stepmother, Valentina Kolechko, raised him and his siblings in Kyiv.
