IMI: Press Freedon in September: 8 cases of impeding journalist activities and 5 cases of threatening

In September, in Ukraine the main violations of journalists’s rights were cases of impeding jourtalist activities - 8 and threatening - 5.This data are given in monthly monitoring Press Freedom Barometer by the Institute of Mass Information.

IMI registered cases of violations of press freedom and journalist's; rights in 10 regions. Thus, the leaders of these violations were Kyiv, where 7 cases of violations were registered, and also Lviv and Volyn region with 3 cases in each.

The most frequently violations journalist's; rights this month were made by ordinary citizens and strangers - 11 cases, local authorities – 6 cases and deputies - 2 cases. Poliice and reps of the judiciary also did it.

In September, the number of impeding journalist activities slightly decreased compared to the previous month, but it is still the most active category of violations. This month the most cases were registered in Volyn region and in Kyiv. In Volyn, journalists were forbidden to shoot police personnel commission meetings, in the capital, strangers prohibited shooting in the place of death of Deputy Head of Presidential Administration, trying to break the camera.

Journalists were threatened during physical contact and through social networks. In particular, unknown armed men threatened journalists of Schemy at the airport Kyiv during filming material about private planes of officials.

Moreover, this month IMI recorded 4 cases of restriction of access to information (in August – 5, in July - 4, in June - 2, in May - 1, in April - 3, in February - 1, in January - 2). Utility services and local authorities denied journallists access to information.

The third consecutive month IMI records reducing a number of beating journalists. In September 2 cases were recorded (August - 0, July — 1, June — 5, May — 7, April — 4, March — 2, February — 1, January - 4).

One of the cases of attacks on journalists concerned the attempted murder of Vadym Komarov, a journalist and founder of Cherkasy regional newspaper Factor + TV. A stranger shot him, but targeted at the wall. Komarov relates the attack to his journalistic activities. He said that for the past six months, he had been working on two journalist investigations related to judges and law enforcement officers.

In addition, IMI recorded 1 case of journalist property damage , and 1 case of attack on media offices and cyber attacks.

On September 4, the arson of the office of a limited liability company National Information Systems (produce programs for TV channel Inter) in Kiev gained publicity. The investigation in the criminal proceedings of a fire in a building of telecentre has different versions, including self arson.

Thus, from the beginning of the year, IMI registered 1 case of murder, 79 cases of impeding journalist activities, 26 cases of assaults and attacks on journalists and 7 cases of censorship.

"Freedom of Speech Barometer" is an analytical product of monthly monitoring of freedom of speech in Ukraine, conducted by NGO "Institute of Mass Information" in support of "U-Media" project, implemented by "Internews Network" supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and by support Non-Profit Organization "National Endowment for Democracy» (NED). The "Network of media observers", working within the "Freedom of Speech Barometer" project, funded with support from Freedom House, the international human rights organization, and the Foreign Ministry of Norway.