Pre-trial hearing on beating of editor of "Vezha" held in Vynnytsa

On December 10, in Vynyitsa the pre-trial hearing on the assault against the editor-in-chief of "Vezha" newspaper, Andriy Kachor, was held, as to “Vezha” website.

Artem Artemenko, adept of the Shariy’s party is charged with “deliberately inflicting of beating, bodily harm of moderate and grievous due to legitimate professional activity of journalist”.

At the pre-trial hearing, the parties had to express their views as to indictment, which set out all the facts of the case. Thus, the Prosecutor's Office representative, the editor in chief’s lawyer and Kachor himself told that all facts were set out correctly in the indictment text and in compliance with the requirements of the current legislation.

In addition, Kachor's lawyer, Natalya Gurkovska, said her client would not file a civil claim for moral or material damages:

"Your Honor, we do not pursue selfish motives, but have come for justice," the lawyer said.

At the same time, Artemenko's lawyer Taras Hrytsuliak filed a motion to return the indictment for further elaboration. Among Gritsulak's arguments was the fact that the indictment did not specify the e-mail addresses of “Vezha” newspaper.

The judge filed a motion for discussion, and the prosecutor objected saying that was an attempt to delay the process.

Lawyer of Kachor backed that idea and Artemenko's lawyer reacted to it violently. Finally, the judge Kovalchuk decided to dismiss the motion from the lawyer for Hrytsuliak and set the next hearing on the case at 2.30pm on January 27.

As IMI reported, on July 11, 2019, the editor-in-chief of the Vinnytsia news portal “Vezha” Andriy Kachor said that he and his family, and his colleagues have been threatened by followers of pro-Russian video blogger Anatoly Shariy.

The threats began after the July 8 publication of the news relating how the Shariy’s party propaganda hand-outs were burnt by unknown Vinnytsa activists.

On July 12, the investigators of the Vinnytsya police department started a criminal investigation into the threats on the grounds of Art. 345 (1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Threat or violence against the journalist").

Within hours of its publication, Shariy posted a 15-minute film about Kachor, his wife and son, on which he threatened and insulted the journalist's family. Over the next few hours, Kachor and his family, as well as the journalists for “Vezha” received hundreds threats of physical assault from Ukraine, Russia, the ORDL and the Crimea.

The employee of kindergarten, where Kachor's son goes, also joined the hazing. According to him, under Shariy's post, she, reported "what kindergarten my son goes to, detailing his location."

On August 31, 2019, in Vinnitsa, an unidentified man beat Andriy Kachor, editor-in-chief of “Vezha”. The journalist was hit after he answered affirmatively the question whether that was him who had written about blogger Anatoly Shariy.

Police detained the suspected of beating, that was a 27-year-old resident of the regional center. However, later the police released the detainee, explaining that, since "the crime was not serious, there was no reason to detain that person".

In October 2019, the suspected assaulter of Andriy Kachor, a resident of Vinnytsia region, Artem Artemenko, was charged under the Part 2 of the Art. 345-1 (“Deliberately inflicting mild or moderate bodily harm to the journalist, his close relatives or family members in connection with his legitimate professional activity of journalist”).

Photo credit: Vezha