Police closes the case regarding death threats to BukInfo editor for the second time
Chernivtsi investigators closed the criminal case on death and home destruction threats received by journalist, head of the BukInfo portal, Serhiy Zaraisky. The journalist reported this on Facebook.
"Dear fellow journalists! You should know and remember well that from now on, anyone can threaten you with murder, burning down your home, promise to crush your office, etc., and if these threats are not documented (in particular, not recorded on electronic devices), then the attacker will not face any consequences for that. At all. This is proven by my case (the proceedings), which has been 'successfully' closed the other day," the journalist's post reads.
In the comment to an IMI representative, Serhiy Zaraisky said that there would be no second appeal against the closing of the case.
"In December 2022, I appealed the decision to close the case. The Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office canceled the police's decision to end the proceedings. The pre-trial investigation was resumed, but none of the law enforcers contacted me during this time. There were no calls, no questions, no updates on how the investigation was progressing! So the efforts were only resumed formally. The decision remained the same as when the case was closed the first time. The law enforcers cannot prove that the threats had taken place, since the conversation was not being recorded. It turns out that I should have known in advance that I would be threatened and record every phone call from an unknown number?! Following this logic, one must record all calls from unknown numbers? It's just absurd!", noted the BukInfo editor.
The resolution on closing the case notes that the operational unit of the Security Service of Ukraine in Chernivtsi oblast established that Valentyn Tatsiy may have been involved in the acts in question.
"Giving his explanation, V. Tatsiy reported that on 05/27/2022 he had come across an article on the information portal BukInfo, read it, found the editor's mobile phone number at the end, and decided to call him and express his dissatisfaction. During their conversation, a verbal dispute took place and obscene language was used. He also said that he had made no threats to S.A. Zaraisky," says the resolution.
The document also states that the pre-trial investigation confirmed the fact of Tatsiy calling Zaraisky, but it was impossible to confirm or disprove the fact of the victim receiving threats, apart from the testimony, and that the means to determine the truth have been exhausted.
As IMI reported, in May 2022, journalist and BukInfo editor Serhiy Zaraisky said that an unknown person had threatened to kill him and destroy his home following his article titled "NABU should take a close look at Osachuk, Head of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration, for forging the papers of military units and covering up smuggling schemes at the border."
In December 2022, investigators from Chernivtsi police closed the case over threats of murder and home destruction received by journalist, BukInfo head Serhiy Zaraisky, but the prosecutors re-opened it.
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