4 Jul 2019 | Ukraine, Ukraine Incident Reports
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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”6 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]
Journalist’s car deliberately crashed by thugs
27 June 2019 — An unknown person deliberately crashed his car into Stop Corruption online outlet crew’s car in Odessa, the National Police reported. The left side of the car was damaged. The driver, who was inside the vehicle, wasn’t injured.
The incident was reported by journalist Roman Bochkala on his Facebook page. According to his post, investigative journalist Asya Glutska and her crew went to film a $1 million private villa owned by judge Serhiy Chvankin, head of Kyiv district court in Odessa. After that the crew drove to Kyiv District Court. About 30 hired thugs were waiting for the journalists there. One of them drove a car into the side of the journalists’ vehicle. According to Odessa police report, the thugs also threatened Glutska and the crew.
The police has launched an investigation under the criminal article of “threat or violence against a journalist.”
Link(s): https://www.facebook.com/bochkala/posts/2477009425684765
https://od.npu.gov.ua/news/zvichajni-novini/policziya-zyasovuje-obstavini-poshkodzhennya-avtomobilya-ta-pogroz-zhurnalistam/
Categories: Attack to Property, Intimidation
Source of violation: Unknown
Local newspaper editor assaulted
22 June 2019 — Olexander Nakaznenko, a Zorya Pryirpinnya editor, was assaulted by the village council deputy Yury Marchuk in Gostomel, IMI reported.
According to the Zorya Pryirpinnya website, Nakaznenko said “it happened at the Gostomel market during lunch time, when I brought the new issue of my newspaper to hand out there. The deputy of the Gostomel village council, Yuri Marchuk, who saw me with a stack of newspapers, at first wouldn’t allow me to pass and picked at me with insults and threats. When I passed by him… he ran after me and hit me in the back of my head with his fist from behind”. Nakaznenko told Marchuck that his actions were illegal, and the latter knocked the smartphone out of his hands. That part of the encounter was caught on camera.
After the incident, Nakaznenko filed a complaint to the police. He connected the assault with his journalists professional activities, as he has long criticised the work of the Gostomelian deputy Yury Marchuk in the newspaper.
Link(s):
http://zora-irpin.info/deputat-napav-na-redaktora-gazeti-zayavnik-pov-yazuye-tse-z-profesijnoyu-diyalnistyu-zhurnalista-video/
https://imi.org.ua/news/na-kyivshchyni-deputat-napav-na-redaktora-hazety/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
Female journalist assaulted by tenant of private beach
20 June 2019 — Aliya Zamchynska, correspondent of Dumskaya online news outlet, was assaulted and threatened by Yury Reznikov, tenant of Otrada beach in Odessa and owner of a cable car next to it, Dumskaya.net reported.
According to Ukrayinska Pravda, local deputies, civil activists and journalists arrived to Otrada beach to remove an illegal fence restricting public access to the beach. The video recorded by Dumskaya shows Reznikov confronting the group armed with a machine gun and threatening them. “I’m not ready to kill for private property, but I’m ready to shoot [you] in the legs,” Reznikov told them. During the episode Reznikov pushed Zamchynska, who fell to the ground and received an abrasion.
Deputy Olexander Sheremet managed to disarm Reznikov, and the police were called to the scene. They discovered that the gun had been loaded.
This is not the first time that Reznikov and his family attacked journalists and activists: in 2012 his daughter assaulted activist Zoya Melnik in front of her child, and in 2014 Reznikov pushed a cameraman for Pervyi Gorodskoi TV channel into a swimming pool with his camera.
Link(s):
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/06/20/7218666/
https://dumskaya.net/news/vo-vremya-inspektcii-plyazha-arendatory-otrady-s-099928/
https://imi.org.ua/news/v-odesi-pid-chas-konfliktu-z-predstavnykamy-inspektsii-orendari-pliazhu-vdaryly-zhurnalistku/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Known private individual(s)
Two journalists assaulted by head of election campaign
13 June 2019 — Two reporters from Stop Corruption online outlet, Maria Gural and Volodymyr Tsyganov, were assaulted in Priluki, Chernihiv region, Institute for Mass Information reported. The attacker was identified as Olexander Chaly, deputy head of politician Boris Prikhodko’s election campaign for Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada.
According to Stop Corruption website, the journalists were trying to access an open event where Prikhodko was meeting with members of the public. The crew intended to check their intel on alleged voter bribery at the event.
Olexander Chaly first tried to snatch a microphone from Gural, and then began to beat her. Tsyganov tried to protect Gural and got beaten up as well. As a result of the assault, Gural received a concussion, and Tsyganov ended up with scratches and light injuries. The police arrested the assaulter and charged him under the criminal article of “threat or violence against a journalist.”
Link(s):
https://imi.org.ua/news/na-chernihivshchyni-pobyly-zhurnalistiv/
https://cn.npu.gov.ua/news/novini/policziya-chernigivshhini-zatrimala-cholovika-yakij-napav-na-zhurnalistiv/
http://stopcor.org/krivavi-vibori-zastupnik-nachalnika-viborchogo-shtabu-kandidata-v-nardepi-prihodka-napav-na-zhuranlistiv-stopkoru/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
TV journalists threatened to have their equipment damaged
10 June 2019 — UA:Rivne TV correspondent Alina Prymak and her cameraman were threatened by unknown individuals near the private residence of a local businessman in Rivne, IMI reported.
The TV crew came to the scene to follow up on the local police’s report about an arson in a private residence the night before. The journalists approached the residence, and a few unknown men who claimed to be working there confronted them in the street. Prymak asked if it was possible to talk to the owner about the arson. “The men began threatening to cut the wheels of a car that was parked nearby, apparently having decided that it was the car the journalists had arrived in, although that was not the case. They also threatened to break our camera. At the same time, one of the men pushed the cameraman, ” Prymak said.
After that journalists left the scene. UA:Rivne TV filed a complaint to the police.
UA:Rivne TV is a local branch of the Ukrainian public broadcaster in Rivne.
Link(s):
https://www.facebook.com/uarivnetv/videos/2406088112943990/
https://imi.org.ua/news/u-rivnomu-zhurnalistam-suspil-noho-pohrozhuvaly-rozbyty-kameru/
Categories: Intimidation
Source of violation: Unknown
Camerperson severely assaulted
7 June 2019 — Unidentified individuals severely beat Vadym Makaryuk , a cameraman for the 24th channel and Visti.News portal, during a mass brawl at the Barabashovo marketplace in Kharkiv, 24th channel reported.
According to the National Police, a the mob assaulted Makaryuk as he was filming an altercation at the market. They sprayed tear gas in his eyes, punched him in the face, destroyed his camera and stole the memory card. The incident happened during the clashes between a right-wing group the National Corps, war veterans in the Donbas and merchants in the market. According to the market managers, the conflict arose due to a property dispute.
The journalist was taken to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed a hemorrhagic stroke, which was the result of cerebral hemorrhage caused by the assault. Makaryuk is in critical condition at the hospital.
Police opened criminal proceedings under the articles “threats or violence against a journalist”, “obstruction of journalists’ legal activities”, and “robbery”.
UPDATE
12 June 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned the attack on Vadym Makaryuk, and called on the Ukrainian authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident. “I condemn the attack and beating of Vadim Makaryuk, and urge the authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrators of this attack swiftly to justice,” Désir said. “Targeting and attacking journalists because of their work is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.”
12 June 2019 – A court in Kharkiv refused to detain a man involved in the brutal beating of Makaryuk, considering round-the-clock house arrest was sufficient, Interfax-Ukraine reported. According to the court’s decision, a 26-year-old unemployed Kharkiv resident Kozlyuk who was involved in the assault on Makaryuk would have to spend one month and 28 days under house arrest. Immediately after the hearing, the lawyer of the suspect said that the defense would appeal the decision. The press service of the prosecutor’s office also announced their intention to appeal this decision of the court.
Link(s): https://24tv.ua/den_narodzhennya_u_reanimatsiyi_yak_pochuvayetsya_operator_24_kanalu_yakogo_pobili_u_harkovi_n1164234
https://hk.npu.gov.ua/news/Inshi-podiji/slidchi-vidkrili-kriminalni-provadzhennya-za-faktami-pobittya-zhurnalista-ta-pereshkodzhannya-jogo-profesijnij-diyalnosti
https://www.facebook.com/newsrezonans/videos/623098251509984/
https://www.facebook.com/ann.chernenko.12/posts/2078542345588065
https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/593505.html
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown, Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1563375564609-6079fa69-4db7-2″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
20 Jun 2019 | Azerbaijan, Monitoring and Advocating Coverage, News, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]This article is part of an ongoing series exploring the issues raised by Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]In 2018, 17 alerts were submitted to the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists relating to impunity for murders of journalists. Of these, 15 occurred in the countries covered by Index on Censorship’s ongoing Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project: Turkey (2), Azerbaijan (2), Ukraine (5), and Russia (6).
The Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project documents, analyses, and publicises threats, limitations and violations related to media freedom and safety of journalists in Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, (as well as Belarus, which is not in the Council of Europe), in order to identify possible opportunities for advancing media freedom in these countries.
As part of the project, Index on Censorship submits and co-sponsors alerts on violations, including physical attacks on journalists and threats to media freedom, to the Council of Europe’s platform. When a member state is mentioned in an alert, the state is asked to log any remedial action they have taken in the platform. The platform’s objective is to put pressure on Council of Europe states to act in accordance with international human rights law and media standards.
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Russia look likely to be among Europe’s most flagrant offenders of media freedom again in 2019: despite accounting for just 8.5% of the Council of Europe member states, they account for 36% of the alerts filed on the platform so far this year.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”98654″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Turkey remains the world’s largest imprisoner of journalists. Arrested journalists continue to be detained on charges of membership of or creating propaganda for a terrorist organisation. Three of the fourteen staff of the newspaper Özgürlükçü Demokrasi who were arrested in 2018 and charged with “membership in a terrorist organisation and terrorist propaganda” remain in detention in Istanbul. The next hearing in their trial is scheduled for 28 June 2019.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”107324″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Despite President Aliyev’s pardoning of more than 400 people earlier this year, journalists among them, severe obstacles remain to press freedom in Azerbaijan. Travel bans remain one of the most common instruments with which to silence critical voices in the country, despite being in violation of Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own”), which Azerbaijan ratified in 1992.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”98655″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Last month investigative reporter Vadym Komarov was beaten into a coma in the Ukrainian city of Cherkasy. He was found with severe head injuries and was taken to hospital where he underwent brain surgery. He frequently wrote about corruption, administrative incompetence, prison conditions, and illegal construction. According to the most recent reports, police have not yet identified the attacker, but are treating the incident as premeditated attempted murder.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”98652″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Along with Ukraine, Russia is among the Council of Europe states where journalists endure the highest rate of physical violence. Earlier this month, unknown assailants attacked the well-known blogger Vadim Kharchenko after he went to meet a potential source. Kharchenko is known for reporting on and investigating alleged police abuse of power. As noted in its recently published report, Index on Censorship recorded 116 violations of press freedom in Russia between 1 February 2019 and 30 April 2019. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
31 May 2019 | Ukraine Incident Reports
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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”9 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_custom_heading text=”Online outlet correspondent assaulted by politician” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]16 May 2019 — Oleg Baturin, New Day online outlet correspondent, was assaulted by a deputy of the Kherson regional council in Kahovka. The official blocked the journalist, grabbed his hands and threatened to cripple him.
Link(s): http://nikcenter.org/newsItem/50465
http://nk-online.com.ua/kahovskiy-zhurnalist-ne-hochet-stat-kalekoy-poetomu-obratilsya-v-politsiyu/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalist assaulted by a government official in Kyiv” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]15 May 2019 — Volodymyr Tymofiychuk, 1+1 TV Channel correspondent, was assaulted by a government official in Kyiv. The official pushed the journalist, grabbed his clothes and hands.
Link(s): https://detector.media/community/article/167526/2019-05-23-zhurnalist-11-podav-u-politsiyu-zayavu-cherez-pereshkodzhannya-z-boku-pratsivnika-kabinetu-ministriv/
https://imi.org.ua/news/zhurnalist-1-1-napysav-zaiavu-u-politsiiu-cherez-pereshkodzhannia-z-boku-posadovtsia-kabminu/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Editor-in-chief’s car set on fire” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
12 May 2019 — The editor-in-chief of TVi Channel Vladimir Yegorov said that his car was set on fire in Kyiv, the Ukrinform news agency reported.
“Today, at 4:30 am, my car was set on fire, I associate it with my professional activity,” Yegorov posted on Facebook. According to Yegorov’s version of events, arson is suspected because his neighbors heard the sound of an explosion before the car caught fire.
Ukraine’s National Police launched a criminal investigation under the “intentional destruction or damage to property” of the country’s criminal code. Yegorov said he would ask the police to reframe the case under the article “intentional destruction or damage to the property of the journalist”, according to Detector Media online outlet.
Sources:
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-kyiv/2698400-golovnomu-redaktoru-telekanalu-spalili-avtivku.html
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2667278600009174&id=100001811816352
https://kyiv.npu.gov.ua/news/Informacziya/policziya-rozpochala-kriminalne-provadzhennya-za-faktom-zagoryannya-avtomobilya/
https://detector.media/community/article/167195/2019-05-12-politsiya-vidkrila-provadzhennya-za-faktom-pidpalu-avtivki-golovnogo-redaktora-tvi/
Categories: Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”TV crew assaulted by customs officers” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]9 May 2019 — Natalia Polishchuk, Maria Petruchyk and Vyacheslav Moroshko — journalists working for Avers TV channel — were assaulted by customs officers at the Yagodyn border crossing with Poland.
The journalists were investigating a large shipment of amber, which was alleged to have been smuggled to Poland through the Yagodyn customs station. They entered a restaurant where customs agents were attending a party and began asking questions about corruption and the amber smuggling. According to Avers, the officers who were present behaved aggressively and assaulted the journalists. One journalist’s finger was bruised and the crew’s camera was broken, 1+1 TV channel reported.
“Two men approached me, they started tugging at me, tore my jacket, hit the cameraman, hit the camera,” Polishchuk said. Petruchyk reported, “He wrestled my phone out of my hand, used brute force, my hand is damaged, he tore my journalist’s ID off me.” The officers also forcibly took the journalists’ driver’s licenses, car documents and bank cards. A customs officer told one of the journalists he would “bury her” the following day. The journalists managed to film a part of the incident.
The police have opened criminal proceedings on three articles. “It’s about interfering with the professional activities of journalists, robbery and causing intentional light bodily injuries,” Viktor Homol, spokesperson for the National Police in the Volyn region, said. The case is now being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigations.
Sources:
https://www.volynnews.com/news/extreme/piani-volynski-mytnyky-pobyly-ta-pohrabuvaly-znimalnu-hrupu-telekan/
https://tsn.ua/ukrayina/zhurnalistiv-na-volini-pobili-mitniki-spravu-rozsliduye-dbr-1343535.html
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property, Blocked Access
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalists assaulted during commemoration rally” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
9 May 2019 — Unidentified persons threw red paint on people during a commemorative march in the Dnipro city (Dnipropetrovsk). As a result of the attack, a journalist from Kryvyi Rih and the operator of the 34th TV channel were injured, Pervyy Krivorozhskiy TV channel reported.
The names of the journalists were not reported. The National Police confiscated items that were stained with paint. The journalists filed a complaint with the police, demanding the investigation to be opened under the article “obstructing the professional activities of journalists” of the criminal code of Ukraine. However, the police opened a case under the article “hooliganism”.
Sources:
https://1kr.ua/news-50606.html
https://dp.npu.gov.ua/news/podiji/stanom-na-1500-v-policziji-vidkrito-4-kriminalni-provadzhennya-pov-yazani-z-podiyami-pid-chas-masovix-zaxodiv/
https://imi.org.ua/news/u-dnipri-pid-chas-mitynhu-postrazhdala-znimal-na-hrupa-34-kanalu/
Categories: Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalist receives death threat after arson attack on her home” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
8 May 2019 — Nataliya Kamyshnikova, s journalist for the Radar local online news outlet in Novovolynsk city, was threatened with death, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) reported. A week earlier, unknown persons set fire to the journalist’s house.
“Yesterday to my friend came close a woman under thirty – with dyed hair, in black glasses in the central market of the city of Novovolynsk. The woman firmly took her by the hand and said: Tell Kamyshnikova this was just the first warning. We will kill her, let her prepare a coffin,” the journalist wrote on Radar website.
On the night of May 1, two unidentified men set fire to a the house belonging to the journalist. Kamyshnikova claimed this had been done out of revenge for one of her articles.
According to IMI, the National Police began the criminal proceedings because of the threats to murder the journalist. Kamyshnikova said that in late January, an anonymous person on the internet threatened her with physical harassment. The journalist then complained to the police. She insisted on entering her case into the Uniform Register of Pre-trial Investigations and requested that criminal proceedings to be instituted. However, the police refused to open criminal proceedings.
Sources:
http://radar.in.ua/obitsyayut-ubyty-komu-zh-ya-tak-zavazhayu/
https://imi.org.ua/news/na-volyni-zhurnalisttsi-cherez-znayomu-peredaly-pohrozu-vbyvstvom/
https://www.volyn24.com/news/126120-vidomij-volynskij-zhurnalistci-pomstylysia-za-material-pidpalom-budynku
https://imi.org.ua/news/politsiia-vidkryla-spravu-cherez-pohrozy-vbyvstvom-volyns-kiy-zhurnalisttsi/
Categories: Intimidation, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalist assaulted in Odessa, had sewage poured at her” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]7 May 2019 — Svitlana Pidpala, activist, journalist and blogger, was assaulted in Odessa’s Summer Theater were she was filming a public event. An unidentified person poured a bucket of sewage on Pidpala. Her equipment was damaged.
Link(s): https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2019/05/7/7214411/
https://www.unn.com.ua/ru/news/1798498-v-odesi-aktivistku-oblili-fekaliyami-ta-nechistotami
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Journalist falls into coma after assault” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]
4 May 2019 — An unidentified person armed with a hammer assaulted journalist and blogger Vadim Komarov in the center of Cherkasy, IMI reported.
According to the National Police, Komarov was walking down the street, when an assailant hit him in the head several times and severly injured him. After that, the attacker fled the scene. Casual passers-by found the badly wounded journalist and called an ambulance at about 9 am. Komarov was operated on the local hospital. According to the doctors quoted on a local online news outlet Procherk, Komarov received an open craniocerebral trauma. The operation lasted two hours after which the journalist fell into a coma.
The police is investigating the case under the criminal article “assassination attempt”.
Komarov is known for his investigation of corruption among city authorities. The journalist has already been assaulted in the past. On 7 September 2016, an unknown person shot at Komarov in Cherkasy, but the bullet hit the wall.
UPDATE:
20 June 2019 — Vadim Komarov died in the hospital without regaining consciousness, IMI reported.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his deep sorrow following the death of Komarov. “I am deeply shocked by the death of Vadim Komarov, who was brutally attacked last month in Cherkasy and suffered from serious head injuries,” Désir said. “Vadim Komarov was a well-known media professional who reported about issues of public importance for many years, including by exposing corruption and uncovering abuses of power.” “I strongly condemn this horrendous attack. Those responsible for this crime must be identified and face justice. I reiterate my call on the Ukrainian authorities to complete the investigation in a vigorous and swift manner. It is regrettable that about one-and-a-half months after the attack the law enforcement have not yet identified the perpetrators nor reported any progress on the investigation. Violence and attacks against journalists are unacceptable and must stop. Impunity would be a victory for those who wanted to silence Komarov and to intimidate the press. All OSCE participating States should take effective and resolute actions to prevent and end impunity for such crimes,” Désir said. “I send my sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and friends,” the Representative said.Head of the National Union of Journalists Serhiy Tomilenko said the cause of the murder was the Komarov’s journalistic work. “The murder of Vadim Komarov is a crime against all journalists in general,” Tomilenko said. Also, Tomilenko called journalists for solidarity, because this “topic is important for the survival of a journalist profession in Ukraine.”
Sources:
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/423578
https://www.facebook.com/sergiy.tomilenko/posts/2237747729643412?__tn__=K-R
https://imi.org.ua/news/pomer-cherkas-kyy-zhurnalist-vadym-komarov/
https://imi.org.ua/news/u-cherkasakh-pobyly-zhurnalista-vadyma-komarova-vin-u-vazhkomu-stani/
http://procherk.info/news/7-cherkassy/72109-zhorstoko-pobito-cherkaskogo-zhurnalista
http://procherk.info/news/7-cherkassy/72195-rozsliduetsja-kriminalne-provadzhennja-za-faktom-zamahu-na-vbivstvo-vadima-komarova
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Death/Killing
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Armed woman assaulted Odessa journalist” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]2 May 2019 — A retired woman armed with a knife tried to assault Olena Solomonova, Odessa.online correspondent, and knocked the phone out of her hands during a commemorative event in Odessa.
Link(s): https://odesa.depo.ua/rus/odesa/aktivisti-z-chervonimi-kulyami-potrolili-kulikovtsiv-20190502957301
https://imi.org.ua/news/v-odesi-na-zhurnalistku-napaly-z-nozhem-i23135
Categories: Attack to Property
Source of violation: Unknown[/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1575992589423-00806ef6-3f10-4″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
30 Apr 2019 | Ukraine, Ukraine Incident Reports
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Index on Censorship’s Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom project tracks press freedom violations in five countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Learn more.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”5 Incidents” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]
President of Ukraine asks security service to check 112-Ukraine and NewsOne as possible threats to national security
16 April 2019 – “The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on the risks and threats to national security that come from two TV channels. Before addressing this issue, I commissioned a law enforcement agency that is responsible for national security in Ukraine, the SBU, to urgently check the information of the Verkhovna Rada,” president Petro Poroshenko said regarding the 112-Ukraine TV channel, answering a question regarding his plans to consider a petition in defense of the TV channels 112-Ukraine and NewsOne, which got over 25 thousand signatures.
Poroshenko said that as soon as the check is completed, the TV channels will be provided with the results, and will be able to provide comments that will be taken into consideration.
Link(s): https://interfax.com.ua/news/election2019/581252.html
https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2019/04/16/7212440/
Categories: Legal Measures
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party, Police/State security
Novoye Vremya reports that there is another complaint filed against it
17 April 2019 – Businessman Volodymyr Halanternik filed a court complaint on the protection of honour and dignity against Novoye Vremia, a weekly magazine, journalist Khrystyna Berdynskyh posted on Facebook.
An informal “master of Odessa” Volodymyr Halanternik and a good acquaintance of the mayor of Odessa Gennady Trukhanov filed a complaint against Novoye Vremia weekly, she wrote. The journalist added that her article on Volodymyr Galanternik was published in June 2018. In her article Berdynskyh reported that Halanternik had a significant impact on politics and business in Odessa.
Link(s):
https://www.facebook.com/kristina.berdinskikh/posts/10158735452136164
https://imi.org.ua/news/u-novomu-vremeni-povidomyly-shcho-proty-nykh-podaly-shche-odyn-sudovyy-pozov/
https://detector.media/infospace/article/166555/2019-04-17-proti-novogo-vremeni-podali-shche-odin-pozov-do-sudu-berdinskikh/
Categories: Subpoena / Court Order/ Lawsuits
Source of violation: Known private individual(s)
Journalist beaten up by local politician in Odessa
16 April 2019 — Bogdan Osinskiy, Gromadske Slidstvo outlet correspondent and editor for Megafon website, was beaten up near a temple by Odessa regional council deputy Roman Senik and his mother. The journalist fell to the ground in the crowd, and Senik hit him in the face with his feet. The police intervened, but Senik’s mother attacked the journalist in the presence of the officers, hitting him multiple times, and Senik pushed a phone out of the journalist’s hands and smashed it.
Link(s): https://www.048.ua/news/2367344/draka-pod-hramom-deputat-vmeste-s-mamoj-pobil-zurnalista
https://dumskaya.net/news/konflikt-vokrug-hrama-na-pastera-deputat-napal-n-097828/
Categories: Physical Assault/Injury, Attack to Property
Source of violation: Government/State Agency/Public official(s)/Political party, Known private individual(s)
Head of Russian news agency office in Ukraine goes on trial for treason
4 April, 2019 — Prosecutors have accused Kirill Vyshinsky, the head of Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti’s office in Ukraine, of publishing “anti-Ukrainian” articles and materials at the beginning of his treason trial in the Kyiv court. The Podil District Court began the trial on 4 April, almost a year after the 52-year-old was detained by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) amid accusations that RIA Novosti Ukraine was participating in a “hybrid information war” waged by Russia against Ukraine. After hearing the prosecutors’ indictment, the court adjourned until April 15th. SBU officials have said Vyshinsky, who at the moment of his arrest had dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship, received financial support from Russia via other media companies registered in Ukraine in order to disguise links between RIA Novosti Ukraine and Russian state media giant Rossia Segodnya. They also said he was receiving some 53,000 euros (about $60,000) a month from Russian sources for his work, and that the money was sent to him through Serbia. According to the SBU, Vyshinsky was preparing reports at Moscow’s request that sought to justify the seizure of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula by Russia in 2014. Vyshinsky faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of the charges against him.
Update: 15 April 2019 – The prosecutor’s office accused Vyshinsky on the basis of publication of 72 “anti-Ukrainian” articles, Radio Liberty reported. This was announced by the prosecutors when they announced the indictment in Podilsky district court of Kyiv. Prosecutors stated that these articles were posted by Vyshinsky between 2014 and 2018. According to the prosecutors, the materials contained “false, biased information about Ukraine, the Ukrainian authorities and the army and refuted the Russian aggression against Ukraine.” The prosecution also believes that these materials “justify the possible separation of certain regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Ukraine”.
Update: 7 May 2019 — Podilsky District Court of Kyiv extended arrest to Vyshinsky until 22 July 2019, Radio Liberty reported. The prosecutor demanded that the court leave Vyshinsky arrested for another two months. He substantiated this with the fact that the defendant has Russian citizenship and can escape to Russia. The defense spoke against the extension of the arrest and requested that Vyshinsky be released under house arrest.
Link(s): https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-vyshynskomu-zachytuyut-obvynuvachennya/29882290.html
https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-vyshynskiy-ria-novosti/29861706.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-vyshinsky-ria-novosti-ukraine-treason-trial/29861826.html
Categories: Arrest/ Detention, Criminal Charges/Fines/Sentences
Source of violation: Police/State security, Court/Judicial
Journalist assaulted by transport company employee
2 April 2019 — Zhytomyr.Life online outlet crew was assaulted by local transport company employee in Zhytomyr. The man attacked cameraman Vasyl Homyuk and twice tried to knock the camera out of his hands.
Link(s): https://detector.media/community/article/166064/2019-04-03-u-zhitomiri-zhurnalisti-zayavlyayut-pro-napad-u-marshruttsi/
https://zhitomir.life/10654-u-zhitomiri-predstavnik-pereviznika-napav-na-zhurnalistiv-video.html
Categories: Attack to Property
Source of violation: Known private individual(s)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1575991602847-ad26670e-749a-1″ taxonomies=”8996″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
