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"Central Anticorruption Committee"

Every four days journalists are beaten in Ukraine – CNMU

In July this year, the number of attacks on journalists reached a record eight cases.

 

This was reported by the press service of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NSJU).

 

According to the monitoring of the “Physical Security Index of Journalists of Ukraine”, 8 manifestations of physical aggression against journalists were recorded in July. In June, there were 2 such cases, and in general, in the 7 months of 2018, 53 incidents occurred.

 

Considering the systemic nature and impunity of these crimes, the National Union of Journalists and the Independent Media Trade Union appealed to the SBU with a demand to unite all cases of arson and bring a case under Article 258 of the Criminal Code (terrorist activities).

 

“Actually, every four days in Ukraine journalists are beaten! We have 53 incidents since the beginning of the year in Kiev and the regions, in the absence of precedents of appropriate punishment for attacks on journalists.” And that is typical, in separate attacks we accuse the siloviki themselves! “Therefore, the level of anxiety in journalistic circles regarding physical security is an emergency, “- said the chairman of the CNJU Sergei Tomilenko.

 

At the same time, the expert group of the Physical Security Index decided not to include in the monitoring information about the clash of the leader of the organization C14 with the journalist of “Public Television” Igor Burdyga, which happened on July 18 under the Goloseevskiy District Court of Kiev. The reason for this was the statements of the journalist and the editorial office that they do not associate the conflict with journalistic activities.

 

So, in July, there were such incidents with the beating of journalists:

 

  1. Evgenia Virlich, correspondent of the publication “Kherson Gazette”. Kherson. On July 13, the wife of a local deputy attacked a journalist in the Kherson city council and beat her to a concussion.
  2. Vitaly Tkachenko, Miroslav Bekchev – freelance correspondents of the publication “Public Surf”, Konstantin Slobodyanyuk – editor of the publication “Undisclosed Crime.” On July 13, journalists were beaten by the soldiers of the Communist Party “Municipal Guard”. Miroslav Bekchev was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and a retinal burn after spraying a gas can.
  3. Yusuf Inan, a Turkish opposition journalist. July 17, employees of the Kyiv Security Service forcibly removed him from his home in Nikolaev. The decision to extradite was taken quickly, without the right to appeal. In the end, the journalist was handed over to the Turkish special services, which caused a wave of outrage of human rights defenders in Ukraine and abroad.
  4. Nikolai Chirva, correspondent of the First Krivoy Rog Publishing House, Krivoy Rog. On July 18, a journalist was hit by an employee of the KR “High-speed tram”, when Nikolai was preparing material on the ill-treatment of homeless animals.
  5. Journalist IA “Vzglyad”, Irpen, Kyiv region. On July 19, an unknown assailant poured a green leaf over the girl when she left the office after the end of the day. The attack is associated with a number of investigative materials prepared by the victim. She does not want to name the journalist, she worries about her relatives.
  6. Olesya Shevchuk, correspondent of “34 TV channels”, the city of Dnepr. On July 23, a girl was struck by one of the owners of liquor-selling MAFs, during the filming for the plot.
  7. Sergei Bliznyuk, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Vesti Borznyanshchyna” (Chernihiv region). On July 25, about 15 people blocked the exit from the conference hall and spent more than an hour holding employees of the State Archive and the editor-in-chief of Vesti Borznyanshchina, Sergei Bliznyuk. The activists struck Mr. Sergey several times, and also forced to write an application for dismissal.
  8. Efrem Lukatsky, photo correspondent, head of the AR agency in Ukraine. July 28 police officer, despite warnings “Press”, deliberately sprayed gas from a police canister in the face of the journalist. The incident occurred during clashes with the police with the participation of the “National Squads” in the construction of one of the sleeping areas of Kiev.

 

In addition, the CNMU was told about two incidents with damage to editorial property in July 2018:

  1. On July 6, the journalist and public activist Denis Yakimenko from the Shostka of the Sumy region set fire to a car. The journalist connects the incident with the preparation of a plot together with the television and radio company “Accent” about illegal deforestation.
  2. The editorial office of the newspaper “Event”, Kamenskoye, Dnepropetrovsk region. On July 11, unidentified people set fire to the editor immediately after the end of the working day. As a result, furniture and some equipment were destroyed.

The “Physical Security Index of Journalists” is a monthly monitoring of the facts of physical aggression against journalists and media in Ukraine. The index of physical security of journalists of Ukraine is carried out by the CNNU together with partners: “Information Security”, NGO “Human Rights Platform”, Academy of Ukrainian Press and Institute for Regional Press Development.

 

The information is taken from: https://strana.ua/news/154278-v-nszhu-rasskazali-o-sluchajakh-napadenij-na-zhurnalistov-v-ukraine-v-ijule.html