In Rivne, members of city council’s budget committee ushered journalist out before discussing sale of land

On June 13, in Rivne a newly elected head of the city council’s budget committee Vitaliy Pershohub (group “European Rivne”) asked the journalist of the “Chetverta Vlada” Svitlana Kalko to leave the session hall, as the committee moved on to discussion of several decisions to be taken in regard of sale of land lots. According to the media outlet’s website, Pershohub explained the request by saying that there is responsibility for disclosing of personal data.  When the journalist said there is responsibility for obstruction to journalist activities and concealing of publicly important information, as, under the law, is the information about allocation of community funds and land, he received it as a threat.

When the journalist began to mention the laws, the deputies started to demand her ID and to tell them all about the registration of the media outlet she represented, “Chetverta Vlada”.