"Chernivtsigaz" bans journalist to film and run her off

Chernivtsi, March 14, - committee members of PJSC "Chernivtsihaz" expelled freelance journalist Galina Yeremitsa from the meeting, where members discussed a question of imposing penalties to a resident of one of the districts in Chernivtsi oblast.

They also prevented the journalist to take pictures. Galina Yeremitsa called the police and wrote a statement on obstruction of journalistic activities.

As the journalist told IMI representative in Chernivtsi oblast, home owners, accused of illegal interference to the counter by the gas company, asked her to come with them to the meeting of the commission. The journalist went into the room and introduced herself. When she started filming the meeting on her cell phone, one of the committee members started to take away her phone and pushed her out of the room and closed the door from the inside, where the meeting continued.

IMI's media lawyer Maksym Ratushnyi noted that in this case we can speak of an offense of the journalist in case there was the use of physical force, even if they had the right to ask her to leave the meeting.