On day of President's arrival to Volyn, journalists were not allowed to oblast council building

In Lutsk, some journalists were unable to make it to two commissions’ sessions of Volynska oblast council due to arrival of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to the location. This was reported by the local IMI representative in Volynska oblast.

The incident took place on May 24 in Volynska oblast council. The journalists planned to visit sessions of the budgetary commission and the commission for the issues of council members’ activities, but those who were not accredited were not allowed in.

The head of the oblast council’s press service department Oksana Lukashuk said that the officers of the State Security Department were not allowing to the building the journalists of "Volynski Novyny", the channel “Nova Volyn” and of the website 0332.ua. 

Lukashuk invited journalists to two sessions of the mentioned commissions of Volynska oblast council, and asked them to take their passport (ID), because the access was restricted, and with a metal detector at the entrance.

According to her, the State Security Department officers said that accreditation is needed to enter the building. But the accreditation for being present at the press conference with the President was acquired beforehand only by those journalists who intended to cover it specifically, not by the journalists who planned to visit the same building for other events, as they were never warned about this. So far, no complaints were filed to the police regarding this restriction of access for the journalists.