Freedom of Press Barometer for December 2018

On December IMI experts revealed in all 16 facts of violation of press freedom in eight regions. 12 facts among them are physical assaults against the journalists. Such are the results of monthly monitoring “Freedom of Press Barometer for December 2018” held by the Institute of Mass Information. On December, the most part of violations have been revealed in the category “obstruction to practice the journalism”: 7 (to compare, 9 facts on November, 8 facts on October, 5 facts on September, 4 facts on August). This month, the journalists were impeded to fulfill their professional activity by representatives of authorities and by private persons. In particular, the journalists were pushed away (as in Odessa where the Odessa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov pushed away Mykhail Shtekel, correspondent for Radio Free Europe during the press briefing). In Kramatorsk, a foreman of building company seized the telephone of the journalist Andriy Romanenko, and forced him to delete the video. The journalist was filming the process of laying asphalt in the rain, in order to record the way the municipal authorities use taxpayers’ funds. Then, taking into account the quantity of violations, it follows by two cases of restriction of the access to public information. In particular, the journalists complained that the Presidential administration failed to produce the requested information. As to the facts of physical assaults and threats, on December the IMI experts identified 2 cases in each of these categories. Thus, in Poltava region, some unknown persons beat in the face Ihor Filonenko, editor in chief of EXO weekly magazine. This incident is related to professional activity, as to the editor in chief. IMI identified as well one incident of cyber-attack, one attack to the office and one fact of juridical pressure. Just to remind, the representatives of some NGOs tried to get by force in the editorial office of Zaxid.net in Lviv. Some unknown persons sent on behalf of UNIAN news agency the release announcing the death of the former president Victor Yanukovych. The UNIAN agency warned this was a provocation. The most of incidents of press freedom violations has been identified in Kyiv (7), two in Poltava region and Rivne region, one case registered in the regions of Donetsk, Transcarpathy, Odessa, Lviv and Kharkiv. This month, the right to practice professional activity of journalist has been violated by some private persons, public officers representing local and central administrations. Тhus, from beginning of the year, IMI has identified 96 cases of impediment to lawful activity of journalist, 33 threats incidents, 31 facts of beating of journalists and 19 cases of attacks.