Police opened 26 cases over violations of journalists' rights recorded by IMI

The National Police has opened 26 criminal proceedings for violations of journalists' rights from the general list of cases submitted by the Institute of Mass Information, as the Deputy Head of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police Anastasia Shydlovska said during the online discussion "Security of journalists and combating impunity for crimes against journalists" held on 5 June by the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

Altogether, since the beginning of the year, IMI lawyers have processed and brought to the law enforcement agencies 67 cases out of the total number of violations of journalists' rights recorded by IMI in Ukraine in 2020.

According to Shydlovska, the National Police was monitoring the information on the website of the Institute of Mass Information and takes into account the IMI reports about the crimes committed against the press. 

Shydlovska added that one case from those ones transmitted by IMI has already been probed in and deferred to the court. Out of 26 criminal proceedings, five were dropped, two were referred to the State Bureau of Investigations and the SBU, 18 cases are under investigation and in one case, the suspition was pressed.

Shydlovska also added that in 22 cases there were no complaints from the journalists. The cases have been put to the pre-trial investigation register, as she said, thanks to other reports about the crimes, including those ones on the IMI website.

As IMI reported, in May, IMI experts recorded 11 cases of violations of freedom of speech in Ukraine (January - 19, February - 18, March - 25, April - 18). Seven of them were facts of physical aggression against journalists.

From January to May 2020, IMI recorded a total of 91 violations of freedom of speech, 45 cases of obstruction, 11 cases of beatings and eight - threats.