IMI condemns humiliation of female journalists in Obolonskyi district court of Kyiv and demands apologies from the police

NGO “Institute of mass information” condemns humiliation and discrimination of women in Obolonskyi district court of Kyiv city on February 21, where interrogation of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko was planned in the case on high treason of the former President Viktor Yanukovych. According to IMI experts, the measures taken by the law enforcement officers were excessive, and were applied only to female journalists, who were there based on assignment of their media outlets. In particular, the officers ordered all journalists to remove their outwear to demonstrate that they have clothes on. On the fifth floor, where the assembly hall No.15 is located and where the case was considered, the selected female journalists where asked to come with female police officers to a room nearby, to remove their clothes to show absence of inscriptions on their bodies. IMI emphasizes that such security measures constitute violation of human rights, discrimination of female journalists based on their gender, and demands a public apology from the police. The speaker of the National Police Yaroslav Trakal named the extended search of female journalists who wanted to visit Obolonskyi district court of Kyiv, “measures under the necessity”.