Freedom of Speech Barometer for June, 2012
The case was widely covered when Kasianov refused in a written form advocate services and sincerely confessed his assassination attempt on Shashytskyi’s life after his being in Voroshylovskyi District Police Department in Donetsk. Tetiana Ivanova, ex-advocate of Kasianov, presupposes that the journalist wrote this statement under the pressure: It’s obvious that the statement was written by a trembling hand, as the previous statement was written clearly and distinctively.
In June, the number of assaults, attacks and intimidations of Media reps has also grown (12 cases were reported). In May, there were only 6 cases. At the same time in June 2011, IMI hasn’t recorded any cases of assaults, attacks and intimidations of journalists.
The number of cases of economic, political and indirect pressure on journalists has also grown. On June, 5, 2012, Artem Shevchenko, a journalist of TVi, was interrogated in the Central Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine as a witness in the criminal case №755, started according to Art. 258 and 263 CC of Ukraine about terrorist actions in Dnipropetrovsk on April, 27, 2012. Besides, on June, 22, 2012, Olena Prytula, an Editor-in-Chief of Ukrainska Pravda, stated that the Security Service of Ukraine have been chasing their journalist (observation and wiretapping): Chasing is related to the fact that the journalist knows three out of four people, who are arrested as suspects in organizing April explosions in Dnipropetrovsk. In some time after their attest he tried to contact their relatives to persuade them to discuss the details of the incident in public.
The resonance was also caused by a statement of Volodymyr Landik, a Deputy of Region Party, who addressed the Pechersk District Prosecution in Kyiv with the demand to start a criminal case against breach of private correspondence of the Internet publication LB.ua. In the statements the names of Ksenia Vasylenko (Sonia Koshkins), an Editor-in-Chief, Oleh Bazar, an Editor and Maksym Levin, a photo correspondent, are mentioned. The deputy was outraged by the publication on November, 18, 2011, Landik the Older Saves his Son with the Help of Technologists and “Correct” Comments on the Sites.
Quantitative Indicators
Gongadze’s Case
The Court in Pukach’s Case Interrogated his Relative
The Court Interrogated Pukach’s Accessory
Supreme Specialized Court of Ukraine Considers the Criminal Case Against Kuchma Illegal
Klimentiev’s Case
Police Identified a Person Related to Klimentiev’s Murder
A Person, Related to Klimentiev’s Murder, is a former employee of UBOP
Arrests and Detentions - 1
Donetsk Journalist Stated that He was Attacked by Governor’s Guardians
June, 20, 2012, Maksym Kasianov, a journalist of Donetsk Internet Publication Korrdon.info, claimed that he was attacked by unknown men when he was filming the car of Andriy Shyshatskyi, a Head of Donetsk Region Administration. The journalist wrote a statement about the attack and violation to his professional activities from the side of Shyshatskyi’s guardians. Later Kasianov refused in a written form advocate services and sincerely confessed his assassination attempt on Shashytskyi’s life after his being in Voroshylovskyi District Police Department in Donetsk.
- Journalist, assaulted in Donetsk, was forced to confess his assassination attempt on governor’s life
- Donetsk Prosecution verifies the situation with the journalist, who was filming a governor’s car
Assaults, Attacks and Intimidation - 12
1. TVi journalist was almost trampled down at the “language” meeting
June, 5, 2012, Nastia Stanko, a TVi journalist, was poisoned by tear gas and was almost trampled down in the crowd near Verhovna Rada during the protest against Kivalov-Kolisnichenko Law about language.
June, 9, 2012, In Donetsk during the public hearing as to protection of square, unknown man grabbed a smartphone from Pavlo Kolesnyk, a journalist and blogger.
3. In Lugansk region the windows of a journalist, who writes about crimes, were broken
June, 11, 2012 at night, unknown men broke the windows in the apartment of Yulia Krasiy, a journalist of Svativski Vidomosti (Lugansk region), who writes about crimes. The journalist and her colleagues relate this incident to her professional activities.
4. In Kyiv angry driver broke a camera of TSN crew
June, 11, 2012, In Kyiv, unknown man broke a camera of TSN crew, when they filmed how a driver was assaulting an elderly man, who was jeopardizing and was close to be overridden.
5. In Kyiv a man assaulted an operator of Novyi Channel
June, 12, 2012, Obolon District Prosecution in Kyiv started a criminal case on the assault of an operator of Novyi Channel. It was found out that a citizen of Kyiv region started to punch an operator and damaged a company car. The offender was arrested and a criminal case according to p. 1 Art. 296 CC of Ukraine – hooliganism.
6. In Simferopol during a picket near Russian Consulate General an operator of ATR was attacked
June, 13, 2012, In Simferopol near Russian Consulate General one of the visitors attacked an operator of Crimean TV channel ATR. The incident happened during shooting a picket to support Russian National Movement and Marsh of Millions.
June, 13, 2012, In program Hroshi there was a story about a man, who was up to assault Myhaylo Tkach for shooting near a reception of Vadym Trofymenko, a Deputy of Batkivshchyna Party, which is situated in Koncha Zaspa estate. A young man also threatened the journalist if he makes the video public.
8. Kotovsk deputies attacked a journalist to drive him out of the City Council meeting
June, 15, 2012, During the meeting of Kotovsk City Council, deputies of Region Party according to directive of Petro Obertaylo, a secretary, attacked Anatoliy Tiora, a journalist, with the aim to drive him out of the room. They tore his shirt, grabbed and threw his case, tore an identification of newspaper Izbercom.
9. In Lviv newspaper Express was captured by sectaries
June, 15, 2012, In Lviv more than thirty members of unregistered Dognala Sect captured several offices of newspaper Express and kept them for more than two hours.
10. The crew of Hroshi was attacked by the guards near the building that, they say, belong to Symonenko
June, 18, 2012, In Kyiv region a crew of Hroshi (1+1 Channel) was attacked during shooting a story about lands around the building that, they say, belong to Petro Symonenko. Private guards took away a camera, blocked a car and threatened Mykhaylo Tkach.
June, 27, 2012, In Kyiv Andriy Dzindzia, a journalist of the Internet publication Dorozhniy Control, was attacked and assaulted by the guard of a false police compound in Troeshchyna in the non-existing address. Andriy Dzindzia was deliberately punched into his face with an elbow by a guard when he tried to found out the reasons of functioning of this false police compound. Police observed the situation but didn’t stop these actions. After a punch a guard continued threatening and using swearing words.
12. In Brovary an unknown man in a uniform attecked the journalists
June, 27, 2012, In Brovary, Kyiv region, an unknown man in a uniform with mask attacked Victor Kruk, a journalist of press center of Narodyi Rukh Ukrainy and newspaper Chas Rukhu. Using swearing words, he hit a Kruk’s camera and it switched off. The man also assaulted Inna Saifulina, a journalist of Bratstvo, who was shooting the event. She managed to take away her camera, but her fingers were hurt.
New Elements about Assaults, Attacks and Intimidation - 4
1. Prosecution General will verifiy if an assaulted journalist is a photographer of tochka.net
May, 31, 2012, Prosecution General will continue investigation of the case about attack on Vitaliy Lazebnyk, a photographer of the portal Tochka.net, and will decide if Desnianskyi District Prosecution in Kyiv legally refused to start a criminal case according to Art. 171 CC of Ukraine – obstruction to journalist activities.
2. Shariy states, that police threatens his wife, who lives in Ukraine
June, 8, 2012, Andriy Shariy, a journalist, who was granted asylum in Lithuania, stated that Ministry of Internal Affairs threaten with criminal cases to his wife, who lives in Ukraine.
June, 20, 2012, Members of Dognala Sect have stopped the work of newspaper Express, by blocking the only passage to the offices and as a result, the schedule of publications of 18 regional newspapers was changed. Journalists ask the police to start a criminal case as these are the acts of breaking public order, blocking transportation and obstruction to their professional activities.
June, 22, 2012, Luhansk region Prosecution haven’t noticed any obstruction to journalist activities of Luhansk IRTA channel crew. It is said in the response of regional prosecution to Yuriy Stets, a Head of the Committee of Freedom of Speech and Information.
It is worth mentioning that on April, 6, 2012, Luhansk police arrested journalists of Lugansk IRTA channel for 2 hours and demanded to destroy video of how executive service takes away a car of one of the employee of the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons at the MIA in Luhansk region
Obstruction to Professional Activities and Censorship - 10
1. In Facebook the pages of oppositional journalists are blocked
June, 1, 2012, In the morning in the social network Facebook the accounts of journalists (Serhiy Leshchenko, Ukrainska Pravda, Vahtang Kipiani, TVi channel, Volodymyr Kuhar and Tetiana Danylenko, Channel 5, Roman Shrako.
June, 6, 2012, The guards of Andriy Aliosha, a famous Donetsk businessman and a Deputy, didn’t allow Oleksiy Matsutsia, a journalist of Novosti Donbasa, to make video near and in the building of City Council.
3. Andrushko left Vikna-Novyny because of censorship
June, 5, 2012, Serhiy Andrushko, a journalist, left Vikna-Novyny program at CTB channel. Volodymyr Pavliuk, Head of the Department of Information and Analytical Broadcasting of CTB channel, mentioned that he wasn’t satisfied with the quality of journalist’ materials. Andrushko thinks that the editor substituted a notion of censorship by bad materialsя цензури головний редактор підмінив поняттям “неякісний сюжет”.
4. The Court didn’t allow Stop Censorship to organize actions near Mezhygiria
June, 6, 2012, Kyiv District Administrative Court didn’t allow any actions of Stop Censorship planned for June, 6, in the village Novi Petrivtsi, near the President residence Mezhygiria.
5. Crimean channel removed the program from the air because it didn’t mention the name of Yanukovych
June, 7, 2012, Management of TRC Crym removed the program Haberler (news in Crimean-Tatar language) from the air. Shevket Haniev, a journalist, informed that the reason for such actions was absence of any information about the President of Ukraine.
- TRC Crym stuff, whose program was removed, demands to stop pressure of the channel managment
June, 6, 2012, Oleksandr Romanenko, a Head of Stara Syniava village Council, caused obstruction to TVi journalist activities by not allowing them to cover the meeting of Budgeting Committee.
June, 13, 2012, Vitaliy Zakharchenko, Minister of MIA, made a speech in the Cabinet of Ministers with the initiative to regulate the possibility of access to information in the Internet. He said: I think that in general, there is much information in the Internet to which a part of the population (e.g. teenagers) mustn’t have any access. These relations (in the Internet – edit) are not fully regulated by the legislature.
8. The guards at Hugh Laurie concert interfere an operator of 1+1 channel to make video
June, 20, 2012, After the concert of Hugh Laurie, a British actor and musician, the guards interfere journalists to make video. The incident happened near the backdoor of Ukraina Palace. Pavlo, Miasnov, an operator of 1+1 channel, was making a video of other journalists and fans from the distance. A person without any ID stopped the process though other operators continued shooting and Miasnov himself was out of the territory of Ukraina Palace.
9. Yatseniuk was again denied access to Inter Channel
June, 26, 2012, United Opposition Batkivshchyna, was outraged because of the next denial of Inter Channel to give time on air to Arseniy Yatsenniuk, a Head of united Opposition Council, a leader of Front Zmin Party.
On June, 18, Arseniy Yatseniuk accepted the invitation of Velyka Polityka to participate in the program on June, 29, 2012. It was mentioned that the program with his participation will start at 11 p.m. and will go for 1 – 1.20 hour. But on June, 29, at 10.45 a.m. the guest editor of Velyka Polityka z kiseliovym informed about impossibility of Yayseniuk’s participation.
10. Journalist of Ukrainska Pravda was pushed out of fan-zone during her work
June, 28, 2012, The fan-zone guards in Khreshchatyk in Kyiv, interfere the work of Oksana Denysova, a journalist of Ukrainska Pravda. She was pushed out of the fan zone, though she showed her editorial badge, received in a fan-zone press center. A journalist was pushed away after she tried to make videos and photos of one of the Femen activists, who during Italy-Germany match broadcasting went up the stairs near the main screen of z fan-zone.
New Elements in Obstruction to Professional Activities - 2
1. Prosecution decided not to start a case as to obstruction to work of TRC Chornomorska journalists
June, 30, 2012, After additional verification of the incident, related to the obstruction of professional activities of TRC Chornomorska journalists on March, 20, 2012, Simferopol Prosecution made a decision to refuse initiation of criminal proceedings.
2. ТRC Crym is without GM, who was accused of censorship
Valeriy Humeniuk performed duties of GM of TRC Crym and resigned as the staff accused him of introduction of censorship and inappropriate methods of management. According to Crimean Media, now Valeriy Humeniuk is appointed as director of Chyste Misto communal company in Simferopol.
Economic, Political and Indirect Pressure - 8
June, 5, 2012, Artem Shevchenko, a TVi journalist, was interrogated in the Central Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine as a witness in the criminal case №755, started according to Art. 258 and 263 CC of Ukraine about terrorist actions in Dnipropetrovsk on April, 27, 2012.
The interrogation was about my work in the investigation program Znak Oklyku at TVi channel and also the story that was on air on Mat, 7, 2012 and was devoted to the issues of terrorist explosions in Dnipropetrovsk – wrote Andriy in his blog.
He was also asked about the message that was sent to the corporate email of TVi Channel [email protected] on May, 11, 2012 at 12:37 p.m.
2. Editors of Chernihivskyi Monitor claimed about authority pressure
June, 6, 20112, Editors of the Internet publication Chernihivskyi Monitor posted a claim about pressure on their site.
There is a rumour going around that information resource Chernihivskyi Monitor was bought or somebody invested into it and that is why he has the right to order and direct what should be posted or not on the site.
Site founders stated that Chernihivskyi Monitor is an independent resource and it remains as such and all the responsibilities to the investors and advertisers have been fully completed by now.
3. 28 employees left Media Holding UBG
UBG corporation that manages and owns satellite TV channels Business, A-One Україна, Добро-ТВ and Ukrainian Fashion, fired 28 employees of its Media direction. Artem Tkachov, a leader of Media direction UBG, informed Telecrytyka about it.
June, 18, 2012, The staff of the communal company Editorial of Chernihiv District Newspaper ”Nash Kray” was against appointment of a new manager of the edition. The staff was surprised by unfair and inconsistent intention of the founder to appoint a stranger on the position of a manager, who hasn’t any advantages over Liubov Potapenko, the present editor.
- Chernihiv District Council haven’t heard the journalists of Nash Kray and appoipted a new editor
5. There were mass dismissal at Chornomorska TRC
June, 19, 2012, In Chernomorska TRC there will be mass dismissal on August, 15. More than a half of the employees (journalists, cleaners and servants) will be fired, e.g. 5 journalists will be fired from News department. Nataliia Andronaki informed:
On Monday the management informed about redundancy, listing all redundant positions – about 10. The management calls it optimization, not redundancy. The time for thinking it over was given.
June, 22, 2012, Olena Prytula, an Editor-in-Chief of Ukrainska Pravda, stated that the Security Service of Ukraine have been chasing their journalist (observation and wiretapping):
Chasing is related to the fact that the journalist knows three out of four people, who are arrested as suspects in organizing April explosions in Dnipropetrovsk. In some time after their attest he tried to contact their relatives to persuade them to discuss the details of the incident in public.
- Security Service of Ukraine states that they are chasing a journalist of UP legally
7. Landic demands to initiate a case against journalists of LB.ua
June, 27, 2012, Volodymyr Landik, a Deputy of Region Party, who addressed the Pechersk District Prosecution in Kyiv with the demand to start a criminal case against breach of private correspondence of the Internet publication LB.ua. In the statements the names of Ksenia Vasylenko (Sonia Koshkins), an Editor-in-Chief, Oleh Bazar, an Editor and Maksym Levin, a photo correspondent, are mentioned. The deputy was outraged by the publication on November, 18, 2011, Landik the Older Saves his Son with the Help of Technologists and “Correct” Comments on the Sites.
- Editor-in-Chief of LB.ua thinks that Landik was used to punish the edition
- Koshkina named the initiators of raid on LB.ua. without surnames
- Editor-in-Chief of LB.ua left Ukraine. She might ask for political asylum
- Prosecution states that they haven’t initiated a criminal case by Landik’s claim
- Landik doesn’t consider his claim caused pressure on Lb.ua
Kyiv City Administration will appeal to Court on Media for non-factual information about readiness of the capital to Euro-2012. Oleksandr Nazarchuk, the First Deputy Head of KCA, announced it on the briefing on Saturday.
We will monitor all Media, what information they give. During Euro will keep silence and listen to, but afterwards, don’t be surprised, we will call to Court for non-objective information.
New Elements in Economic, Political and Indirect Pressure - 2
1. Usov returned from the States and is ready to meet the Prosecution reps
June, 5, 2012, Kostiantyn Usov, a TVi journalist, is ready to meet Kyiv Prosecution reps, who earlier expressed hope that after coming back to Ukraine, Kostiantyn Usov will fulfill his civic duty and will be a witness in the case. They point out at the criminal case about officials at Kyiv trial center.
2. Shariy: Guys from Ministry of Internal Affairs left for Lithuania after me
June, 8, 2012, Anatoliy Shariy, a Ukrainian journalist, who got a status of a refugee, informed that a group of guys from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or on their demand, who would like to find me, left for Lithuania.
Court Appeals of Media and Journalists -1
June, 12, 2012, Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeal denied the claim of Iryna Solomko, a journalist of magazine correspondent, and supported judgment of Kyiv District Administrative Court from March, 12, where Solomko challenged refusal of Verhovna Rada officials to give information about Deputies’ assistants.
New Elements in Court Appeals of Media and Journalists -1
1. ТRC Hrad is going to challenge the judgment of Ex-Vice Mayor of Odesa, who arranged shooting
June, 1, 2012 Odesa TRC Hrad is going to challenge the judgment of Mykolaiv District Court from May, 28, 2012 that pleaded Vahtang Ubiriy, Ex-Vice Mayor of Odesa, guilty and later he was amnestied under the Art. 171 CC of Ukraine (obstruction to journalist professional activities).
Court Appeals to Media and Journalists - 3
1. Rozynska appealed to Court on Telecrytyka, CTB, ICTV, MIA and their speaker
Nataliia Rozynska, a presenter of Pershyi Nationalnyi, appealed to Court on Telecrytyka, CTB, ICTV and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Volodymyr Polishchuk, a Head of PR Department of MIA.
Rozynska asks Court recognize the information spread by Volodymyr Polishchuk as to her participation in the incident with road inspectors on May, 2, not true and such that violates her rights and freedom, humiliates and spoils her reputation. Rozynska means Polishchuk’s words that she didn’t appeal to police about illegal actions of road inspectors against her. This comment was broadcasted by CTB and ICTV.
2. ICTV lost the case against the author of Euro-2012 clip
Oleh Finger, an author of Kiеv Live - Timelapse (Kiеv Live) clip, won the case against ICTV as to copyright infringement. ICTV in the program Facty Tyzhnia z Oksanoyu Sokolovoyu on December, 4, 2011, without author’s permission used some fragments in their story Euro-2012: who is playing and where? Holding the draw in Kyiv.
Kiеv Live - Timelapse (Kiеv Live) was made by Oleh Finger in summer 2011 on the bases of his 4000 pictures. On October, 12, he posted his clip on YouTube.
3. Correspondent and Iryna Solomko were called to court because of their article about raiding
Correspondent and Iryna Solomko were called to Court and are asked to admit the information in the article about raiding under the title Division of Property at Divorce (№ 13 on April, 6, 2012) not true.
Oleksandr Kravchuk, Asset Management Company Tekt, Oleh Stetsenko, Minority Shareholder of Likarski Roslyny plant, asked to initiate the case against Solomko, Correspondent and Beiten Burkhardt Ukraine and Bohdan Borovyk.
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