Journalists for Public TV in Rivne got threats to smash camera

Photo credits: Shutterstock The journalists for the public TV channel "UA: Rivne" were threatened to break the camera and cut the wheels in the car. The incident happened on June 10 in Kalnyshevsky Street in Rivne, as UA;Rivne informed on Facebook. The TV crew came to check the information on the night arsonning of the house of a businessman. The report saying someone intruded to the private territory of an entrepreneur and set afire there, was made public by the police. The “UA:Rivne” channel said, its TV crew did not enter private territory. "When the journalist and the cameraman were outside, some unknown persons approached them and threatened to break the camera and cut the wheels of their car. At the same time, one of those persons was pushing the operator ", as TV channel said. As the journalist for "UA: Rivne" Alina Primak, who was on the scene said, they were taking video of the fence, then they were going to call the entrepreneur by house intercom. Two persons came out of the territory, saying they were working for that person there. Someone shouted there no arson incident had been occurred here. Then other persons came out too, 5 or 6 men. They threatened to the journalists. Then, the journalists left the place. The Public TV channel filed a complaint on obstruction to professional activity of its journalists to the police filed. The lawyer for IMI Ali Safarov confirmed this case had the clear elements allowing to consider them as the offenses, as it is stipulated by the articles 171 ("Obstruction to lawful professional activities of the journalists") and 347-1 ("Intentional destruction or damage to the journalist's property") of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. "From that video footage one could hear well threats to break the camera and to damage the car just because the journalists were collecting the information, that is to say because they fulfilled their professional activity. This incident occurred in the street, in other words in a public place, not in a private territory. Thus, this case has elements of offenses, which are stipulated by the articles 171, 347-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, " the lawyer said. Ali Safarov stressed, the journalists had all reasons to go to the police.