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Journalists not allowed to court hearing in Kyiv

17.05.2019, 15:59
The journalists who came to Solomyansky district court in Kyiv on May 16th to cover the hearing within the case of CEO of "Ukrbud" company Oleh Mayboroda, were not allowed to attend the sitting, as "Insider" reported. As a journalist for “Insider” told, the hearing was held behind a closed door in the judge's office. The spokesperson of the Solomensky district court reported that judge Viktoriya Zhovnovatyuk held the sitting in her office, as no other courtrooms were free. The journalists were told the judge Zhovtovanyuk was a person of principle: "The judge decided to stand on principle and to hold the hearing in the absence of the press. There's just such a bitter-ender judge: she does not want, and that’s all. " On May 14th, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau detained former head of the National Guard Yuri Allerov, general director of "Ukrbud" Oleh Mayboroda and a private entrepreneur on suspicion of unlawful seizure 81 635 448 hryvnas ($3 171 000). As Olga Khudetskaya, editor in chief of “Insider, told IMI’s correspondent, journalists were not allowed to attend the hearing. Among other journalists who came to the court to vover the trial, there were the journalists for Hromadske, TRK Ukraina, UNIAN news agency, 112 Ukraine, NTN, “UA: Pershyy” TV. After the sitting, the “Insider” reporter Alina Kondratenko approached the judge Zhovnovatyuk with a camera, asking what was the reason to hold the closed door sitting. "I asked her four times why the meeting was held closed doors and she ignored my questions," the journalist said. IMI lawyer Ali Safarov noticed that journalists whom the judge has denied access to the hearing could file complaint to the police for obstruction to their lawful professional activities. "Journalists whom they denied access to the court hearing in such a way have grounds to file a complaint about criminal offense committed against them, as it is stipulated by the Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (...)," he said.
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