Odesa-based journalist receives threats after article about psychoneurologic residential care facility

Odesa-based journalist Dmytro Bakayev is receiving numerous threats of physical violence after he published a series of articles about Velykorybalskyi women’s psychoneurologic residential care facility. As the representative of ІМІ in Odeska oblast reports, the last material was published in February of 2017 in the media outlet “Dumska”, and in it, the journalist exposed the grim facts of life of the facility patients.

According to Dmytro Bakayev, after the article was published unidentified persons began to send numerous messages to his email, phone, and in social networks. The journalist himself believes that the   facility management called the relatives of their patients and suggested that the facility may get closed down and its charges would be sent home. In an interview to the media outlet “Dumska”, Bakayev said he is getting calls around the clock.

“It happens at 5 in the morning or at 3 a.m. They curse at me and threaten. What is especially unpleasant is that these are relatives of those women, village residents. Most of them haven’t even read the article. They were simply duped, I feel sorry for them”, said the journalist.

After Bakayev received threats, in which his home address was mentioned and a photo of his apartment door was attached, he filed a complaint with the police.