Journalists in Kremenchug denied access to city council
In Kremenchug (Poltava region) on November 5, Tetyana Donchenko from “Telegraf” edition and Oleksander Kurylov from “Program Plus”, as well as representatives of “Vizit” TV and radio company, were not allowed to the Kremenchug City Council premises by a security guard. Finally, the journalists managed to get in, but after an argument and a some jostle.
The journalist Tetyana Donchenko reported about it to the representative of IMI in the Poltava region.
Tetyana Doncheko and her colleagues told they had to attend the meeting of the executive committee, where the terms of repair of kindergartens were to be considered.
"I had an open press card card in my hands - I explained what for exactly and why I came. But the security guard Didenko began to grab my hands, and the National Guard Matvienko put his hands up like an anti-tank barrier. My husband (also a journalist) runs after me, shouting to hold hands off me. But we could break through, ” she said.
Tetyana Donchenko added that earlier they tried to have a polite dialogue with their representatives with the City Council.
“We were convincing them that the quarantine resolution №1236, to which the mayor and his subordinates referred to deny access to journalists to the mayor's office, hadn’t any restrictions for our professional activity. But we were not heard. We have exhausted all means of negotiation. In particular, we invited them to the round table through mediation of IMI representatives, but they go on to ban entry to the premises of the City Council. The reason was the same : the lockdown. At the same time, the executive committee of the Kremenchug City Council decides on internships for young people in the executive committee. There is no lockdown? In my opinion, the restrictions are introduced purposfully: for the media not controlled by the government in favor of some pocket media, to which the same government has given 18 million UAH (about $688 thousand)- this is the activity of a municipal television and radio company and the so-called free newspaper. The real purpose of the inaccuracies is to monopolize the information space, ”the journalist said.
The representative of the press service of the Kremenchug city council Yulia Perepelyatnyk in the comment of the representative of IMI said that she had no information about the denial of access for Donchenko and Kurilov in the City Council.
Tatiana Donchenko won’t file a complaint with the police. She motivates her decision by the fact that one complaint had been filed and she and her colleagues are going to bring the initiated criminal proceedings to a logical end.
As reported by IMI, on May 7, As IMI reported, in Kremenchug, journalists of four editions addressed an open letter to city council deputies with a request to inform local media about official meetings with the participation of the mayor or other representatives of the executive committee and to behave towards all media equally.
On May 12, in Kremenchug, journalists of non-communal mass media on May 12 could not get to the sitting of the Kremenchug city council,.
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