There has been no noticeable progress in the probe into the surveillance of Bihus.Info journalists in two years. The case still hasn’t been submitted to court, and no suspicion notices have been issued, Bihus.Info lawyer Maria Muzychka reported to Detector Media.

“The case is quietly dying at the State Bureau of Investigation,” the lawyer said.

She explained that six forensic examinations in the case were underway. In 2024, Serhiy Kostin, department chief at the SBI’s Central Investigation Office, reported that nine examinations were planned. The journalists have not been shown the findings of any of the examinations, some of which may already have been completed.

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“We see no signs of movement in the case, and we don’t expect any. We had no high hopes since the start that it would be investigated quickly. That’s why we carried out our own investigation and showed who was doing what,” Maria Muzychka said.

She believes the investigation is being stalled due to the authorities’ lack of “will and resolve” to bring the case to a close.

“Overall, our case is yet another proof that the State Bureau of Investigation needs serious reform,” she added.

Maria Muzychka said that they saw grounds for suing Ukraine’s law enforcement bodies through the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) over the inadequate investigation.

The news outlet plans to send a query to the SBI regarding the investigation’s status.

Previously

On 16 January 2024, the head of the Bihus.Info project, Denys Bihus, recorded a statement in response to a provocative video shared on YouTube by the website “Narodna Pravda”, wherein his employees negotiate the purchase of drugs and use them, and reported unlawful surveillance and wiretapping. He also announced staff changes.

The phones of the Bihus.Info team were wiretapped for several months, according to Denys Bihus’s second video address. He says that the leaked phone conversation recordings point to this. These conversations happened some time apart.

On 17 January, the Security Service of Ukraine opened a case over unlawful wiretapping and video surveillance of Bihus.Info employees. On the same day, SBU officers searched at the suburban complex where the Bihus.Info team members were illegally recorded on video. The law enforcers confiscated the hard drives with CCTV footage. On 18 January, it was reported that the Kyiv Oblast National Police HQ had opened a pre-trial investigation into the violation of privacy following a statement by Bihus.Info journalist Maria Zemlyanska. The National Police is investigating four cases related to surveillance of Bihus.Info journalists.

The team carried out their own investigation, and Denys Bihus reported that at least 30 people were involved in the surveillance operation targeting the Bihus.info team. The surveillance cameras were installed in the rooms where the project’s employees, mostly women, stayed. Other guests at the hotel were also under unauthorized surveillance.

In response, the SBU stated that they were investigating cases on drug trafficking and the illegal use of surveillance equipment. “According to the information available to the SBU, some Bihus.Info team members, unfortunately, were also clients to drug dealers supplying narcotic substances to other citizens,” the special service noted.

It was reported on 13 February that the State Bureau of Investigation had opened a case under Part 3 of Art. 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: any form of influence on a journalist aimed at preventing them from fulfilling their professional duties and committed through abuse of office.