IMI requires to reactivate intergovernmental commission on security of journalists

The "Institute of Mass Information" (IMI) demands to reactivate the intergovernmental commission on security of journalists, as Oksana Romanyuk, Executive director of IMI said on Facebook. "Vadym Komarov, Cherkassy journalist, who was brutally beaten on May 6^th, died tonight. All this time after the attack, he remained in a coma and has never recovered consciousness... We demand from the police to promptly investigate and to establish those who are responsible for this crime. President Zelensky, when the intergovernmental working group on security of journalistic activities will be reactivated? "Romanyuk told. As Romanyuk said, over the past five months, IMI has recorded 99 violations of press freedom. These violations for its most part were physical aggression against journalists. The head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center Tetyana Pechonchik noted that this was not the first attack against Vadym Komarov, and she also demands the re-establishement of the group. IMI reported, Cherkassy investigative journalist Vadym Komarov died on June 20. He remained in medically induced coma all this time after assault. As IMI informed, on May 4th in Cherkassy, some unknown person beat Vadym Komarov, local journalist and video blogger, who investigated facts of corruption in municipal council, illegal real estate development and condition of penitentiary establishment. Komarov was sent to the hospital, he was in a critical condition, as he got an open cranio-cerebral trauma. The police initially instituted a criminal case under part 1 of article 121 (“Intentional grave bodily harm”) of the Criminal Code. But then, the investigators re-qualified the criminal proceedings under articles 15 and 115 of the Criminal Code (“Murderous attempt”). On May 6, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir called for an effective investigation into the attack on journalist Vadym Komarov. On May 7, Reporters sans frontières, said they were appalled by the brutal attack and called on the authorities to do everything possible to ensure that this horrific attack did not go unpunished.”