The police have granted ZHAR.INFO journalist Alyona Bereza victim status in proceedings concerning obstruction of her legal reporting following an intervention by lawyers with the Bihus.Info project Svoyi Liudy, who proved that the earlier refusal to grant her this status had been unlawful, reports Bihus.Info.
Alyona Bereza was barred from attending the a hearing at the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning (SIAUP) in Khmelnytskyi on 18 March 2026. According to the journalist, the decision was made by the SIAUP chief inspector of construction supervision, Yulia Mazur. The official claimed that as per her regulations, such hearings are not supposed to involve outsiders and that the defendant in the case was unwilling to have journalists present.
Bereza was to cover the trial on the urban planning violations related to the building at 13 Pylypchuka Street. After being denied access, the journalist called the police and filed a report over obstruction of her reporting.
However, the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Police did not immediately recognise the journalist as a victim of obstruction. She was only granted this status after Svoyi Liudy lawyes project filed a motion arguing that the refusal had been unlawful.
On 20 April 2026, the Khmelnytskyi City and District Court granted the claim by of the NGO Women’s Anti-Corruption Movement (basis for ZHAR.INFO’s operations) and ordered the Khmelnytskyi District Police to add the data from the statement filed on 18 March 2026 into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.
The police claimed that their inspection findings was “insufficient” to confirm whether a criminal offense had occurred.
On 9 May, a Khmelnytskyi District Police Department investigator opened a probe into the incident, classifying it as a potential crime under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of legal reporting).