Freedom of Speech Barometer for July 2022
In July, the Institute of Mass Information recorded 18 crimes against freedom of speech in Ukraine. 13 of them were committed by russia against the media and journalists on Ukrainian territory.
The russian crimes include firing at journalists, threats, cyber attacks on Ukrainian media, blocking access to media websites, shutting down Ukrainian broadcasting, and media outlets closing down due to the full-scale war.
At the same time, IMI recorded five cases of freedom of speech violation for which the Ukrainian side is responsible.
This is according to the monitoring conducted by the Institute of Mass Information.
In July, journalists of the French TV channel FRANCE 24 came under russian fire while working on a story about the work of Ukrainian rescuers in Donetsk region.
russians continued to threaten Ukrainian journalists in July, but the amount of threats is decreasing. In particular, Zaporizhzhia media outlets inform.zp.ua and 061.ua received emails with threats of imprisonment and criminal liability for their journalistic activities. Letters signed by various users are being sent through russian mail services to the inboxes of the Ukrainian media. We would like to remind you that these two editorial offices have been receiving such letters regularly since March.
In addition, russians keep carrying out cyber attacks on Ukrainian media platforms. For instance, on July 10, "FreeDom's" russian-language marathon on YouTube was interrupted by mass copyright strikes.
On the same day, hackers deleted the Facebook account of "Prestupnosti.NET" chief editor Anatoly Chubachenko and the media outlet's YouTube channel. The editors believe that this is all the work of russian special services or russian hackers, since the media outlet is pro-Ukrainian and debunks various russian fakes. Moreover, on July 11, the websites of the Mykolaiv online media "Prestupnosti.NET" and "Niklife," which are part of the "Ukrainian Media Group" news agency, were subjected to a large-scale DDoS attack. The websites were down for a while. The editors consider it a link in the same chain of events as the hacking of the YouTube channel and the Facebook account and believe that it was done by the same people who have ties with the russian special services.
Another case is related to the attack on the servers and networks of TAVR Media radio stations. As a result of the attack, the radio stations aired a fake report about the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky being in intensive care.
Freedom of speech situation in Ukraine for which the Ukrainian side is responsible
In July, IMI recorded five cases of freedom of speech violations in Ukraine for which the Ukrainian side is responsible. These include cases of obstruction (four) and censorship (one).
Instances of obstruction were recorded in Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia, and Poltava. Journalists from Khmelnytsky and Vinnytsia complained about the authorities and law enforcement officers being selective in giving access to information and shelling sites.
In Vinnytsia, the police did not allow "20 Khvylyn" editor Vadym Pavlov to visit the site of the tragedy after the russian shelling on July 14. At the same time, the journalist drew attention to the selectivity in allowing the media to the site. We remind that representatives of the authorities and the "Media Movement" journalistic community reached an agreement that journalists can collect information on the ground immediately after the shelling. At the same time, photos and videos of events at the site of hostilities taken by media representatives and journalists can be published after 12 hours for military facilities, and after three hours for civilian facilities.
In Khmelnytsky, the Regional Council gave no comment to ZHAR.INFO journalist Maria Turchyna regarding the region's humanitarian needs and the Regional Council's cooperation with international partners to provide for these needs. At the same time, comments on this topic have been provided to other mass media – such as a local TV channel associated with a relative of the Chairwoman of the Khmelnytsky Regional Council Violeta Labaziuk.
In Poltava, journalists claim to have faced obstruction from City Council officials, including the press office. The journalists complain about hearing bureaucratic formulas instead of answers to information requests; unability to receive the necessary comments promptly; lack of "live" communication with City Council officials, such as briefings; events being announced late, if ever. The media representatives initiate a round table with the city authorities to resolve the conflict and develop a clear and transparent communication algorithm.
The censorship case was recorded by IMI in Kropyvnytsky: local media outlet "Hrechka" had to remove an article about the wartime work of local higher education institutions from their website due to the "insistent request" of the regional National Police Department. The publication's editor Anastasia Dzyubak stressed that in their interviews with a "Hrechka" journalist, the representatives of the higher education institutions had only shared the information allowed for distribution, which cannot threaten the security situation in the city. According to her, the information provided by them can still be found on the websites of these universities and institutes.
The violations were recorded in four regions: in Poltava, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, and Kropyvnytsky.
RUSSIA'S CRIMES
Firing on journalists – 1
1. France 24 journalists come under russian fire in Slovyansk
03.07.2022 Journalists of the French TV channel FRANCE 24 came under russian fire while working on a story about the work of Ukrainian rescuers in Donetsk region, the State Emergency Service announced.
"The work of the journalists of the French TV channel FRANCE 24 about the work of Ukrainian rescuers in Donetsk region was interrupted by the enraged russians' shelling."
"Among those who came under fire are locals who had come for the water delivered by the emergency workers, our boys, and the French journalists," the message says.
The State Emergency Service noted that the journalists did not cut the footage of russian shelling from the story: "So you can see the conditions that the rescuers of Donetsk region have to work under every day."
From a brief to the FRANCE 24 report, it became known that the journalists came under fire on July 3 in Sloviansk, along with rescuers and local residents. "The city came under intense fire on Sunday. The residents who stayed there despite the bombing suffer from drinking water shortage in particular. Our special correspondents in the Donbas followed a brigade of firefighters not far from the front line, who are trying to at least somehow supply it to civilians," the caption to the report says.
Persecution of journalists, threats, intimidation – 4
1. Zaporizhzhia media outlet inform.zp.ua receives threats of prosecution from russia again
01.07.2022 Last week, the editors of Zaporizhzhia's inform.zp.ua received two emails with rhymed threats from russia.
The website's editor-in-chief Eric Brynza informed the IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia region about this.
On July 1, an email from user "Elmira Afanasyeva" with the subject "Very important!" arrived to the editorial inbox from the russian mail service inbox.ru. In it, the author threatened the staff of the editorial office with criminal responsibility for their journalistic activities – in rhymed form again. In particular, the letter stated: "russian troops are liberators, their operation saves lives and stability. And you, propaganda spreaders, will not escape criminal responsibility!"
Not long after, on July 4, the editors received another email from "Yana Vlasova" with the subject "Reminder." In the email, also sent through russian mail service inbox.ru, the author "reminded" of the following: "V is for 'victory,' Z is for 'ourz!' Game's over for you and your lying propagandist mouths!"
According to inform.zp.ua editor-in-chief, they have already received emails with identical content before.
2. Zaporizhzhia media outlet 061.ua receives threats of imprisonment from the rf
01.07.2022 Zaporizhzhia media outlet 061.ua received two threatening emails from russia. The editorial team reported this to the IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia region.
On July 1 and 4, 061.ua editorial team members received two emails with threats. The first letter with the subject "Important!" was sent by "Evdokia Eliseeva" from mail.ru. The letter contained a link to the group noname057(16), which is famous for its moralizing slogans, insults, and rhymed poem-threats. This time, journalists were told the following: "Propagandist, your path is sad. Deceiving the population is the first step, not even hiding that you're an Ukronazi. But the second step is your imprisonment! noname057(16)".
In the second email, dated July 4, the journalists were promised that "the game is over" for their "lying propagandist mouths." The letter was sent from the inbox.ru mailbox with the subject "Reminder" from "Nina Egorova."
3. Zaporizhzhia media outlet inform.zp.ua receives threats of prosecution from russia again
01.07.2022 Last week, the editors of Zaporizhzhia's inform.zp.ua received two emails with rhymed threats from russia.
The website's editor-in-chief Eric Brynza informed the IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia region about this.
On July 1, an email from user "Elmira Afanasyeva" with the subject "Very important!" arrived to the editorial inbox from the russian mail service inbox.ru. In it, the author threatened the staff of the editorial office with criminal responsibility for their journalistic activities – in rhymed form again. In particular, the letter stated: "russian troops are liberators, their operation saves lives and stability. And you, propaganda spreaders, will not escape criminal responsibility!"
Not long after, on July 4, the editors received another email from "Yana Vlasova" with the subject "Reminder." In the email, also sent through russian mail service inbox.ru, the author "reminded" of the following: "V is for 'victory,' Z is for 'ourz!' Game's over for you and your lying propagandist mouths!"
According to inform.zp.ua editor-in-chief, they have already received emails with identical content before.
4. Zaporizhzhia's inform.zp.ua receives threats of imprisonment from russia again
12.07.2022 Employees of the Zaporizhzhia website inform.zp.ua received yet another threatening email about imprisonment in the colonies of Siberia from the russian federation.
The website's editor-in-chief Eric Brynza informed the IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia region about this.
The email was sent to the editorial inbox on July 12 via the russian post service bk.ru, signed by "Shomurod Miroshyn." In the letter, the author reported that the journalists have become subjects of criminal cases for "spreading, under the guise of reliable reports, of unreliable information about the actions of the armed forces of the russian federation."
The email also states that "in the near future, after the russian army occupies your city, you will be forcibly taken to one of the nearest courts of the russian federation for a sentencing process. After that, a prison term in one of the penal facilities of the russian FPS, which is located in the Siberian Federal District, awaits you."
The occupier offers to sign an "agreement on voluntary cooperation with the authorities of the russian federation".
As reported by IMI, Zaporizhzhia media outlets have been receiving threats from russia since March. The last time inform.zp.ua received threats from russia was on July 7.
Cyber crimes – 4
1. "FreeDom" YouTube marathon stopped due to mass copyright strikes
10.07.2022 On July 10, the live broadcast of "FreeDom's" russian-language marathon on YouTube was stopped due to mass complaints about the copyright infringement.
This was announced by the state enterprise "International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine" (SE IBMPU).
"Due to mass copyright strikes, our most rated accounts – "Ukraina 24," ICTV, TSN, "Hroshi," "Spetskor," 1+1, UATV channel – have stopped their YouTube live marathon. UATV (property of SE IBMPU), which is the main channel for broadcasting the FreeDom marathon, has also received a series of content complaints that can not be verified. However, this became a reason for YouTube's administration to issue a warning, which also affected the channel's ability to broadcast live on the platform," the message reads.
IBMPU considers the mass strikes to be a commissioned campaign, namely due to the impossibility to identify and detect the time stamps of the content against which the strikes were filed; the video hosting did not use any preventive measures, but instantly blocked the marathon's live broadcasts on the media partners' channels. In addition, the complaints were filed simultaneously against all key YouTube channels of the country's major media companies, not through an automatic copyright control system, but individually.
The media companies working on the "FreeDom" marathon appealed to the YouTube administration with propositions to review the procedure for working with the Ukrainian segment of TV production in the context of russia's continuous cyber war against Ukraine.
As IMI reported, in early July, the state enterprise "International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine" reported a continuous cyber attack on its Ukraine-based technological capabilities, conducted by russia.
2. Unknown persons delete "Prestupnosti.NET" YouTube channel and editor-in-chief's Facebook account
10.07.2022 Unknown persons gained access to the personal Facebook page of Mykolaiv online media "Prestupnosti.NET" editor-in-chief Anatoly Chubachenko and deleted it. In addition, attackers took over and deleted the media outlet's YouTube channel. The editors believe that this is all the work of russian special services or russian hackers.
Anatoly Chubachenko told the IMI representative in Mykolaiv region about this.
On the morning of July 10, Anatoliy Chubachenko discovered that an interview recording which had been posted the day before was missing from the "Prestupnosti.NET" website. He saw that the publication's YouTube channel had been deleted by someone. At the same time, it turned out that he had lost access to his own Facebook page, which was later deleted.
"In the morning, I started working and discovered that the website was missing a video of an interview from our YouTube channel, which we had posted on the website a day earlier. It said that the channel had been deleted. I looked into this and ralized that I no longer had access to the email that was tied to this channel. While I was trying to figure out how it all happened, I started getting emails on my personal inbox which said that first the phone number that was linked to my Facebook account changed, then my email changed, then my email was deleted and my password was changed. I lost any way to log in to my Facebook account, and literally a few minutes later my colleagues began to text me, saying that my account was not available, that is, it did not exist, it had also been deleted,” the editor-in-chief said.
The editors do not understand how this could happen. Email and Facebook accounts had two-factor authentication. In addition, the email to which the YouTube account was linked was not linked to his phone.
"That is, I had a password, but there was a two-factor authentication process. And it's exactly the same with Facebook, we still can't figure out how it happened that they were able to access my Facebook account without going through the two-factor authentication that had been set up," he said.
The editors wrote to the support service on both YouTube and Facebook.
"I received a response from YouTube that they would review it within two days, maybe more. As for Facebook, there is no such communication format, so we have to use all the possibilities we had, all that they have, to restore access to the account, but none of them have worked so far. We have no way of resolving the issue, because the attackers simply changed all the emails from the inside, and all the codes for changing the password and restoring access are coming to those emails that had been listed by the attackers," said Anatoliy Chubachenko.
He himself and the media outlet's staff believe that this is all the work of russian special services or russian hackers. He noted that the attackers have tied the hacked Facebook account and YouTube channel to russian email addresses.
"We believe there is a high probability of it having been done by russian special services or russian hackers, because in my case, they listed russian e-mails such as 'mail.ru,' which is not used in Ukraine. This can be explained by the fact that the YouTube channel had so many videos about captured russian soldiers, the Ukrainian army destroying russian equipment, there were a lot of views – some videos got 2 million. And the Facebook account was also hacked, probably because I am the editor-in-chief of a media outlet that actively supports Ukraine and debunks russian fakes in every possible way. We have a large audience. Therefore, this is basically the only explanation for who would feel the need to hack the Facebook account and the email at such a time," Chubachenko said.
Editor-in-chief is asking for help with contacting Facebook and YouTube representatives directly, as he is afraid that they may lose their YouTube channel, which they have been developing for 10 years, and their Facebook page altogether.
3. "Prestupnosti.NET" and "Niklife" websites under DDoS attack
11.07.2022 On July 11, the websites of the Mykolaiv online publications "Prestupnosti.NET" and "Niklife," which are part of the "Ukrainian Media Group" news agency, were subjected to a large-scale DDoS attack.
"Prestupnosti.NET" editor-in-chief Anatoliy Chubachenko informed the IMI representative in Mykolaiv region about this.
"On the evening of July 11, the website was targeted by a large-scale hacker attack. Our website administrators, who help us with its maintenance, were able to repel it with what functionality they already had. We consider it a link in the same chain of events as the hacking of our YouTube channel and my Facebook account. We think that these are the same people who have ties with the russian special services," he said.
Chubachenko considers the reason for the attack to be the editors' professional activities in covering the true facts of the full-scale war that russia has unleashed against the Ukrainian people.
"Towards late evening, the website was restored, and currently both of our websites – Prestupnosti.NET and NikLife – are working normally," he said.
4. TAVR Media under cyber attack: the information about Zelensky's health problems is not true
21.07.2022 TAVR Media radio stantion group reported a cyber attack on the servers and networks of their radio stations.
As a result of the attack, the radio stations aired a fake report that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was in intensive care.
"Today, the servers and networks of TAVR Media radio stations suffered a cyber attack. At the moment, the relevant services are working on resolving this problem.
"We emphasize that none of the information about the health problems of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is true," the message reads.
Blocking online access to media – 2
1. Editors of 0532.ua website receive a notification about being blocked in russia
01.07.2022 The editors of the Poltava city website 0532.ua received a notification from Roskomnadzor about access to the resource being restricted. russia accuses the Poltava media outlet of covering the war in a way that is, in russia's opinion, unreliable.
The media outlet's owner Yuriy Boyko posted the email on his Facebook page.
In the email, the reason for the block is stated as follows: "False reports about acts of terrorism or other unreliable information of public significance, which is distributed under the guise of reliable information, which creates a threat of harm to the life and health of citizens, carries the threat of mass violations of public order..."
The editors received the email in two languages, russian and English, a month ago, but they only saw it now.
In the comment to the regional IMI representative, Yuriy Boyko stated that they will continue to work for Ukraine's victory and that "the journalists weren't spending their nights in the office in the first months of the war for nothing."
"I believe that this is a worthy reward for the entire team of the 0532.ua website. This means that it was not for nothing that the journalists weren't spending their nights in the office in the first months of the war for nothing. We received an email from russia, from Roskomnadzor! I want to frame this email and hang it in the editorial office! The Prosecutor General of the russian federation believes that the website Poltava 0532.ua spreads unreliable information about the war and destabilizes the situation in the russian federation. We promise to keep destabilizing it until Ukraine's Victory! Glory to Ukraine!" he wrote.
According to Yuri Boyko, the editors did not respond to the email, but they plan to send a request for Roskomnadzor to follow the course of the russian warship.
2. "Poltavska Khvylia" receives block notice from russia
27.07.2022 On July 27, "Poltavska Khvylia" media outlet received an email from Roskomnadzor about the access to the resource being restricted on the territory of russia. Vitaliy Ulybin, editor-in-chief of "Poltavska Khvylia," announced this on his Facebook page.
The email states that access is being restricted due to a publication with a tutorial for making a "Molotov cocktail."
"If the hosting provider and the website owner do not delete the prohibited information and restrict the Internet access to the website, a decision will be made to add the address of the network which allows the website to be identified on the Internet to the unified register, and access to it will be restricted," says the email.
In a comment to the Poltava representative of IMI, Vitaly Ulybin said that the editors responded with a picture in which the demands of the russian federation were being sent to follow the course of the russian warship.
As IMI reported, the editorial office of the Poltava 0532.ua website received a notification from Roskomnadzor about the access to the resource being restricted. russia accused the Poltava media outlet of covering the war in a way that was, in russia's opinion, unreliable.
Shutting down Ukrainian broadcasting and streaming russian propaganda – 1
1. russians in Volnovakha issue propaganda "newspaper" under a Ukrainian brand
28.07.2022 Two issues of the propaganda "newspaper" "Nashe Slovo" were printed in Volnovakha (Donetsk region), which is temporarily occupied by the russian invaders. This was stated by the media outlet's editor-in-chief Lidia Tarash, Chytomo reports.
"Nashe Slovo" has been in print since 1932, but after the occupation, the russians stole the newspaper's brand and use it to spread propaganda.
"In this publication, the occupation authorities appropriated not only the name 'Nashe Slovo,' but also the font of the name, the layout style of the first page, and even the color blue that we used for the name on the newspaper's website and Facebook page. We note that not a single member of our enterprise's team has anything to do with the prinitng of this newspaper," Lidia Tarash emphasized.
According to the editor, the real "Nashe Slovo" stopped printing with the beginning of full-scale russian aggression against Ukraine. As of now, all editorial staff have left the occupied territory, except for one colleague who was killed.
Lidia Tarash reported that the representatives of the so-called "DPR" occupation administration have been trying to "resume" the printing of the newspaper for a long time. Namely, they offered her to cooperate.
The occupiers gave the premises of the editorial office to the so-called "Volnovakha District Pension Fund." The printing of the fake "Nashe Slovo" is being done by the so-called State Unitary Enterprise of the Donetsk People's Republic "Republican Media Holding" headed by Roman Karpenko. In addition to "Our Word," the "Holding" is printing two more local "newspapers" in the occupied territory of Donetsk region – "Selskaya Nov" (Mangush District) and "Zarya Pryazovya" (Nikolske District).
We remind you that earlier, the russians have stolen brands of Mariupol, Melitopol, and Kherson newspapers to spread propaganda.
Media that have ceased their work due to russia's war against Ukraine – 1
1. Khmelnytsky region newspaper "Prybuzka Zorya" closes due to financial difficulties
07.07.2022 "Prybuzka Zorya" newspaper (Khmelnytsky region) temporarily stopped publishing due to the difficult financial situation. This was reported by the editor, Svitlana Volkova, in the newspaper's last edition, issued in late June.
"Many legal, financial, material, and other issues have accumulated due to the military aggression. However, the most important of them, for every Ukrainian, is only one thing – when will the war end, when will our victory come. In view of the extremely difficult financial situation that has befallen the Prybuzka Zorya Newspaper Editorial Board LLC and very low subscription revenues, we made the decision to suspend the newspaper's publication until the end of 2022," the editor's statement reads.
Volkova also named six reasons that contributed to this decision. In particular, the denationalization of printed publications, Ukrposhta's decision to introduce mobile post offices and downsize stationary ones along with their staff, the "newspaper workers' lost battle" for efficiency with the Internet. Also, these are the prices for delivery, paper, and printing, a ban on subletting leased premises. And the sixth reason is the war.
Instead, Svitlana Volkova noted, all subscribers who have pre-paid for the publication until the end of the year will receive "Simeyna Hazeta" in accordance with the agreement between LLC "Prybuzka Zorya Newspaper EB" and LLC "E Publishing House."
"Prybuzka Zorya" is a printed district newspaper that has changed its name several times, but preserved the publication's history and the history of villages and towns of the present Khmelnytsky district on its paper pages, without switching to online format. It was impossible to find a single copy of "Prybuzka Zorya" being sold freely. This newspaper was only available through pre-paid subscription.
The first edition of the newspaper was published in 1919. In April 2019, the newspaper celebrated its 100th anniversary.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH SITUATION IN UKRAINE FOR WHICH THE UKRAINIAN SIDE IS RESPONSIBLE
Physical aggression
Obstruction – 4
18.07.2022 Khmelnytsky Regional Council failed to provide comments to ZHAR.INFO journalist Maria Turchyna regarding the region's humanitarian needs and the Regional Council's cooperation with international partners to provide for these needs. At the same time, comments on this topic have been provided to other mass media.
The journalist reported this to IMI and provided the Regional Council's response.
In early July, the journalist turned to the Khmelnytsky Regional Military Administration and the Khmelnytsky Regional Council for a comment. Khmelnytsky RMA did respond.
Khmelnytsky Regional Council, however, in their response noted that they performed their functions under martial law and directed the journalist to their official websire for more details.
"The Regional Council closely cooperates with international partners, in particular, with the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland) regarding material aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, regional medical facilities, and temporarily displaced persons. You can learn more details on the issues in question on the Regional Council's official website at: https://km-oblrada.gov.ua", reads the Khmelnytsky Regional Council's formal response, signed by the Council's Deputy Chairman Valentyn Sokolyuk.
Maria Turchyn is working on a series of reports on the work of charities and public organizations, activists and volunteers, as well as on the successes of authorities in attracting humanitarian aid to Khmelnytsky.
"I am working on a material about volunteering and humanitarian aid in the region. I sent my request simultaneously to the Military Administration and the Regional Council. The administration gave a three-page answer. They also asked several times if any additional information was needed. But the Regional Council redirected me to their official website for information. Which wouldn't have been such a problem if somewhere around this time, the Chairwoman of the Regional Council had not been making video comments on the same subject to other mass media. Namely, to the TV channel owned by her mother... Is this obstructing the work of journalists? To some extent, yes. And to some extent, this is an attempt to establish and consolidate censorship. You can say, and probably even suspect a lot here... This is not the first time such situation occurred," said Maria Turchyn.
The journalist claims that this is not the first time that such a situation occurred, because even in peacetime, her team had asked for comments and received no response even in writing.
According to her, even at the beginning of the war, Khmelnytsky region and the Khmelnytsky Regional Council established several humanitarian headquarters, but they were separated from one another. That is why the requests were addressed to these authorities.
At the same time, according to Maria Turchyn, around the time of her receiving the response referring to the Regional Council's official website, a local TV channel associated with a relative of the Chairwoman of the Khmelnytsky Regional Council Violeta Labaziuk filmed a story about receiving another batch of humanitarian aid from international partners. The comments in this story were given both by the Chairwoman herself and by other employees of the Regional Council. This story has also been posted on the Khmelnytsky Regional Council official website.
IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko noted that officials were not obligated to provide comments. However, he pointed out the selectivity in giving comments to mass media.
"Giving or not giving comments is a right, not an obligation. Receiving comments is not a mechanism for accessing information. Although the journalist sent a 'request for comment' to the Regional Council, this cannot be considered a request for information access, and such a document could also be called an 'appeal' or simply a letter. The content of the journalist's questions also shows that they allowed for a lot of subjective assessment in the response, which is not characteristic of access to information. Regarding the on-camera comments to another TV company, I would like to point out the fact that in this 'request,' the journalist was asking for a written response. Although the Regional Council's selective attitude towards different mass media, if it is so serious, is worth paying attention to by openly declaring it," said IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko.
2. Police in Vinnytsia refuses to admit "20 Khvylyn" editor to the site of the tragedy
18.07.2022 Vadym Pavlov, editor of the Vinnytsia newspaper RIA and the "20 Khvylyn" website, reported that the police prevented him from accessing the site of the tragedy in Vinnytsia after the russian shelling on July 14. He was also not allowed to attend the Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky's briefing.
Vadym Pavlov wrote about this on his Facebook page and reported to an IMI representative.
"I arrived at the shelling site after 20 minutes. We put on vests with PRESS stickers, because we understood that there could be more shelling. The policemen who stretched the tape around the place did not allow me to pass behind it. Ok. I explain to them. What the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and The Ministry of Defense allows journalists to collect (!) information immediately after the shelling. Posting it is allowed after three hours (for civilian objects) or 12 hours for military ones. The answer I get is 'no,'" he wrote.
At the same time, the journalist drew attention to the selectivity in allowing the media to the site.
"Deputy mayor Halyna Yakubovych is passing by here, and what is she doing? That's right. She's leading the "Vita" channel filming crew with her. That is, one is allowed. The other is not. I call the head of the regional police, Ivan Ishchenko. I ask for permission to enter. Then I hand the phone over to the policeman. I explain that everyone has already been let in here. They let us in. We take some pictures. Bodies are being carried past us. We are doing our job. And looking for the body of our friend... 10 minutes later, the policemen run up, shout and demand that we 'get out.' I say that we have permission from the police chief. One of them replies that he doesn't give a sh*t about the chief. Only the mayor's permission. In his presence, I call Serhiy Borzov, head of the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration. He gives permission. The policemen hear it. I hang up. They tell me: he did not give permission," Pavlov said.
According to him, he started explaining the rights of journalists to them, but "they started pushing him in the back."
"I ask them to stop doing this. He pushes me in the back again and again and shouts, 'Get out.' The asshole who did this is Andrii Martynyuk, the commander of the rapid response company. After that I left the site of the tragedy. And then came back a few hours later together with Vinnytsia and international journalists," wrote Vadym Pavlov.
The journalist also said that he was not allowed to attend the briefing of the Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky. "I'm going to a meeting with Monastyrsky. It was agreed with the SBU. I approach, say that I'm going to a meeting with the minister. The military around the perimeter say that I can't go in. Who said so? The boss. What boss? A boss. End of conversation. And they did not let me in," said Vadym Pavlov.
The journalist said that he plans to write a statement to the authorities about obstructing his professional activities.
It will be recalled that on July 14, russian troops fired at Vinnytsia with 3M-14E Kalibr missiles. 24 people were killed, including three children.
As IMI reported, representatives of the authorities and the "Media Movement" journalistic community reached an agreement that journalists can collect information on the ground immediately after the shelling. At the same time, photos and videos of events at the site of hostilities taken by media representatives and journalists can be published after 12 hours for military facilities, and after three hours for civilian facilities.
This is said in the joint statement of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Media Movement journalist community published on April 27.
3. Journalists covering a rally not admitted to Poltava City Council
20.07.2022 In Poltava, journalists were not allowed to meet with deputy mayor Valery Parkhomenko and the demonstrators.
The incident took place on July 20 at Poltava City Council, where the media workers came to cover Poltava residents' rally against real estate developers. Journalist Anastasia Matsko informed the IMI representative in Poltava region about this.
The journalist said that after the rally, which took place in front of the City Council building, an initiative group of protesters went into the hall to meet with the deputy mayor Valery Parkhomenko. They invited the mass media to go with them.
"But the security didn't let us in, they said it wasn't allowed. We could not pass freely, as the passage was fenced off with desks. When I asked on what grounds we were not allowed in, the guard at the entrance said that there was no such order. He did not specify which order. He ignored my explanations that this was obstruction of the work of journalists," said IMI representative Anastasia Matsko.
The security offered the protesters and journalists to resolve the issue of their presence at the meeting through the City Council's press office.
"We waited about 15 minutes for the head of the Poltava City Council press office Alina Ryabokon. We had to call her ourselves, as we understood that we were losing precious time waiting, because the proactive group of protesters got in at that time. We were asked to wait again. And later we were informed that the head of the press office would not come down to us, because she was at the meeting with the deputy mayor and the protesters," said Matsko.
In the end, according to the journalist, the head of the press office came to them. She justified her absence and the fact that the journalists were not allowed to the meeting by the fact that the deputy mayor came out and gave a comment instead.
"It was some kind of incomprehensible comment that does not allow us to properly cover the issue, and therefore to do our job. Even though we had journalist IDs, we were unable to come in and do our job professionally and provide people with full information on the problem," said Anastasia Matsko.
She also said that the media workers wanted to be present during the government's conversation with the protesters, as the reason for the meeting is socially significant. People came because, despite the building being completed and put into operation, they could not move into the apartments, as the City Council did not assign an address to the building. They wanted to hear the reason from the Poltava authorities.
The journalists did not file a report for interference with their professional activities with the police. But they do plan to prepare a collective appeal regarding the unsatisfactory work of the Poltava City Council's press office and the city authorities' communication with the mass media.
4. Poltava journalists complain about the City Council's press office, demand an audit
21.07.2022 In Poltava, journalists claim to have faced obstruction from City Council officials, including the press office. The media representatives initiate a round table with the city authorities to discuss unsatisfactory communication and find ways to resolve the problem.
This is stated in the appeal by multiple local media outlets, reports the IMI representative in Poltava region.
The journalists complain about hearing bureaucratic formulas instead of answers to information requests; unability to receive the necessary comments promptly; lack of "live" communication with City Council officials, such as briefings; events being announced late, if ever. They also complain about the officials performing their duties unsatisfactorily and about the disregard of the laws "On mass media," "On information," "On television and radio broadcasting," "On news agencies" on the part of the head of the Poltava City Council press office Alina Ryabokon.
Journalists appeal to the mayor Oleksandr Mamai, the City Council secretary Andriy Karpov, and the City Council deputies of the 8th convocation with the demand "professional and respectful treatment of the work of the mass media, namely by the Poltava City Council press office." According to the appeal, the reason for this was repeated violations of journalists' rights by City Council officials. In particular, the July 20 case, when journalists were not allowed into the City Council hall to attend a meeting with protesters.
In addition, the journalists demand to hold a round table between the city authorities and the mass media in order to resolve the conflict and develop a clear and transparent communication algorithm, as well as to conduct an official audit of the activities of the press office head Alina Ryabokon and to hold a conversation with the contracted security organization regarding the algorithm of inspection and admission of journalists to the premises of the City Council.
The appeal was signed by representatives of the publications "Poltavska Khvylia," "Fundament," "Kolo," "Poltavshchyna," 0532.ua, Gazeta.ua, freelance journalists, media commentators. The appeal will be passed on to the City Council.
Censorship. Information access
Censorship – 1
1. Kropyvnytsky's "Hrechka" deletes article about universities upon police's "insistent request"
21.07.2022 Kropyvnytsky media outlet "Hrechka" had to remove an article about the wartime work of local higher education institutions from their website due to the "insistent request" of the regional National Police Department.
The publication's editor Anastasia Dzyubak announced this on her Facebook page.
According to her, the article was written by one of the trainee journalists. The article was posted on July 11, and on July 14 it was removed from the website.
"On July 14, I received a phone call from the authorities. Referring to their bosses, they insistently asked us to remove the article, allegedly at the request of the regional military administration, due to security concerns. We removed the article," the journalist wrote.
Anastasia emphasizes that in their interview with the "Hrechka" journalist, the representatives of the higher education institutions only reported the information allowed for distribution, which cannot threaten the security situation in the city. According to her, the information provided by them can still be found on the websites of these universities and institutes. In particular, it is about the state of bomb shelters and the institutions' readiness to work in online and offline formats.
"We understand that there are additional precautions under martial law. But I would like to have some clearer information on what may be harmful and what should not be published before we begin our work, not after the fact. In addition, if there were clear rules, we could have checked whether the article violates something or not," Anastasia Dzyubak said.
Freedom of speech protection
Journalist community's response – 2
01.07.2022 The Independent Media Council called on the authorities to openly discuss, finalize, and adopt new media legislation. Detector Media provides the full text of the IMC statement:
Acquiring the candidate status for European Union membership requires Ukraine to adopt democratic, modern, and effective legislation in the media field. In particular, the European Commission's recommendation regarding Ukraine's future EU membership contains a requirement for our state to "tackle the influence of vested interests by adopting a media law that aligns Ukraine’s legislation with the EU audio-visual media services directive and empowers the independent media regulator." The adoption of media legislation which takes into account the requirements stated in Directive №1808/2018/EU, streamlines Ukrainian law in accordance with the recommendations of the Council of Europe experts, and brings it closer to the legal framework of the European Union is one of Ukraine's obligations within the framework of the EU association agreement.
The draft bill "On media" №2693-d has been waiting for the first reading since 2019. On July 14, 2020, the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy reviewed the draft and recommended that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt it as a basis in the first reading and take into account the proposals provided by the Committee.
The statement of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk about the Parliament's intention "to work in turbo mode in order to fulfill all the EU membership obligations by 2025," on one hand, gives hope for the unblocking of this and other important draft laws, which is long overdue. On the other hand, there is a danger ofthese legislative acts being passed in a hurry, behind the scenes.
We, public and media organizations, call on the state leadership and the Verkhovna Rada to immediately resume the transparent process of preparing new media legislation with the involvement of the expert community, public organizations, and professional media workers. The introduction of new regulatory mechanisms in the media field, which is critically important for the functioning of democracy, should take into account the realities and interests of the media community, civil society organizations, the balance beetween the rights and freedoms and the need to respond to the challenges posed by russia's informational and military aggression agianst Ukraine.
The Independent Media Council invites other public and media organizations to join this call and expresses its willingness to take part in the discussion and improvement of the new media legislation.
Independent Media Council, CSO "Detector Media," CSO "Institute of Mass Information," CSO "Souspilnist Foundation," CSO "Internews Ukraine."
2. Poltava journalists pass the address with their demands to the City Council
27.07.2022 On July 26, an initiative group of journalists in Poltava sent an address to the deputies of the Poltava City Council. In it, media workers demand to hold a round table with the city authorities to discuss unsatisfactory communication and find ways to solve the problem. This was reported by the IMI representative in Poltava region.
The joint letter was signed by 29 journalists from "Poltavska Khvylia," "Fundament," "Kolo," "Poltavshchyna," 0532.ua, Gazeta.ua, freelance journalists, and media columnists.
According to the IMI representative, copies of the address have been sent to all deputies of the Poltava City Council. Also, the address has already been passed over for consideration to three deputy commissions. Deputies are to look into the journalists' demands next week, when the meetings of the deputy commissions are scheduled.
As IMI reported, on July 21 Poltava journalists claimed to have faced obstruction from City Council officials, namely the press office. The media workers demanded "professional and respectful treatment of the work of the mass media, namely by the Poltava City Council press office." On July 20, the journalists were not allowed into the City Council hall to attend a meeting with protesters.
The journalists complain about hearing bureaucratic formulas instead of answers to information requests; unability to receive the necessary comments promptly; lack of "live" communication with City Council officials, such as briefings; events being announced late, if ever. They also complain about the officials performing their duties unsatisfactorily and about the disregard of the laws "On mass media," "On information," "On television and radio broadcasting," "On news agencies" on the part of the head of the Poltava City Council press office Alina Ryabokon.
russia-occupied Crimea – 2
1. russian law enforcers in Crimea detain blogger Rolan Osmanov
13.07.2022 In occupied Crimea, russian law enforcers detained Crimean Tatar blogger and public activist Rolan Osmanov near the "Supreme Court" building.
This was reported by Crimean Tatar journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva.
According to her, Rolan Osmanov contacted Crimean Tatar activist Lemmar Yunusov and told him that he had been taken to the building of the Center for Combating Extremism in Simferopol. Lawyer Islam Velilyaiev was already on his way to provide legal assistance to Osmanov.
It should be noted that at 10:00 a.m. on three days – July 13, 14, and 15, 2022 – the occupation Supreme Court of Crimea, near which Osmanov was detained, will be holding hearings in the case of Nariman Dzhelal, Asan Akhtem, and Aziz Akhtem: the russian investigation suspects them of "sabotaging the gas pipeline" near Simferopol.
Later, the head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center Eskender Bariev announced that Rolan Osmanov was being charged on two articles. Namely, Art. 20.3.3. of the Administrative Code of the russian federation ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the employment of the Armed Forces of the russian federation for the purpose of protecting the interests of the russian federation and its citizens, maintaining international peace and security, or the exercise by state bodies of the russian federation of their powers for the specified purposes") and Art. 19.3. of the Administrative Code of the russian federation ("Non-compliance with lawful demands of a police officer, a military officer, a federal security service officer, an officer of state security agencies, an officer of the bodies that exercise federal state control (supervision) in the sphere of migration, or an officer of a body or institution of the law enforcement system or an officer of the National Guard troops of the russian federation").
These articles provide for an administrative fine of thirty thousand to fifty thousand rubles and an administrative fine of two thousand to four thousand rubles, administrative arrest for a period of up to fifteen days, or compulsory labor for a period of forty to one hundred twenty hours.
It will be recalled that on September 4, 2021, russian security forces conducted five searches in Crimea and detained five Crimean Tatars: Eldar Odamanov, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelal, cousins Asan and Aziz Akhtems, and Shevket Useinov.
After the five Crimean Tatars, russian law enforcers detained another 40 people who had come to the FSB headquarters in Simferopol to find out the fate of those who had been arrested earlier. Among them were activists, citizen journalists, and relatives.
On December 3, 2021, the "Kyiv District Court" of Simferopol considered the materials on an administrative offense against blogger Rolan Osmanov, who was forcibly detained near the FSB building. "Judge" Galina Khulapova found him guilty of violating the restrictions of the high alert regime and imposed a fine of 15,000 rubles.
As IMI reported, on February 4, 2022, the occupation Supreme Court of Crimea declined an appeal against the "Kyiv District Court's" ruling that fined Crimean Tatar blogger Rolan Osmanov.
2. Crimean journalist Iryna Danilovych says she was beaten and pressured by the FSB
28.07.2022
Crimean citizen journalist and human rights activist Iryna Danilovych, who has been illegally imprisoned since April 29, 2022, said that officers of the Federal Security Service of the russian federation (FSB) continue to pressure her. This is stated in the letter passed over by Danilovych from the pre-trial detention center, the text of which is available to ZMINA.
"I, Danilovych I. B., want to declare that the aggressive and illegal actions of the Simferopol FSB officers have not stopped yet!" she wrote.
Namely, the journalist said that on July 5, 2022, during her transfer to the occupiers' "Kyiv District Court" in Simferopol, she was beaten by the FSB convoy.
Later, on July 22, 2022, during the transfer of her and five other people from the Service's department to the Simferopol pre-trial detention center, the FSB escort, in the presence of many witnesses, noted with particular aggression that "not enough explosives were planted" on her during the detention. According to him, if he had been the one to arrest Danilovych, he "would have thrown in more" and would have added "a kilogram of drugs on top," writes the journalist.
As IMI reported, on April 29 in the occupied Crimea, russian security forces detained citizen journalist Iryna Danilovych. She was detained on her way from work on the road from Koktebel to Feodosia. Her house in Vladislavivka village was searched, her phone and laptop were seized.
Several public human rights organizations have demanded the release of citizen journalist Iryna Danilovych, who had been abducted in Crimea.
Iryna Danilovych worked as a nurse, and was also a citizen journalist, covering the problems of the health care system in Crimea and sharing information about the war in Ukraine. Before the war, Danilovych cooperated with several media and human rights initiatives (InZhyr-Media, Crimean Trial) and ran her own project, Crimean Medicine Unwrapped, speaking about the rights of health professionals. Danilovych also took an active part in the trade union movement and headed the Crimean branch of the Alliance of Doctors. Hence, Danilovych was subjected to administrative pressure and was fired from the substance misuse department of the Feodosia Medical Association. She was threatened with a lawsuit because of her trade union activities.
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