Committee on freedom of expression to demand police to probe into attack on journalist of "Strana.ua"

The parliamentary Committee on freedom of expression and information policy is going to appeal to the National police and the General prosecutor’s office to investigate assault committed against the journalist "Strana.ua" Vladyslav Bovtruk. The Committee adopted this decision on July 10, as Ukrinform reported. The members of the committee decided to take under its control this case, in order to provide a full, open, prompt, comprehensive and impartial investigation. The chairman of the board of the National association of Ukraine media, media expert Tetyana Kotyuzhynska, who attended the committee's meeting, also asked to remind to the editorial boards that on the basis of Article 15 of the Law "On State support to mass media and social protection of journalists", the media outlets have to provide its journalists whom they send with an editorial task to place of mass gathering of people, with proper documents, signs and other means which designate him as a press representative. At the same time, it is important for further qualification of the incident as a hooliganism incident or obstruction to journalist's professional activities, they stressed out. As the member of the Committee Yuri Pavlenko said, Igor Guzhva, editor-in-chief of "Strana.ua", and it staff appealed to the committee regarding the incident. The targeted journalist claimed that the person who attacked him was someone Oleksiy Tsymbalyuk. According to Bovtruk, he was going to address some of guys to make his comment on, when Tsymbalyuk approached him and struck him with a hand in his face. The journalist added that when he fell, Tsymbalyuk kicked him twice. Bovtruk said the assaulter knew he was beating the journalist, although he had no marks identifying him as the press person. The journalist added, the police refused to identify the attacker on the spot, what complicated the investigation of the case. The police did not attend the committee meeting. IMI reported, the police opened criminal proceedings due to complaint filed by the journalist for "Strana.ua" Vladyslav Bovtruk saying he had been assaulted, while he was covering the protest action against TV link-up of NewsOne with Russian TV channel on July 2 in Kiev.