Journalists Darya Timoshkova and Anna Prysiazhna, who work with the Lutsk-based investigative journalism centre Syla Pravdy, were summoned for questioning by police over their upcoming investigation into the wealth of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ territorial service chief, Darya Timoshkova reported in a Facebook post on 10 November and elaborated in comments to Maia Holub, the Institute of Mass Information’s representative in Volyn oblast.
Timoshkova said that both of them had been summoned to a police station last week for investigative (search) actions. On 10 November, Daria Tymoshkova attended her first interrogation in a journalist’s capacity. Videographer Anna Prysiazhna was also questioned.
“We at Syla Pravdy have made a video investigation into the wealth of the head of a local Internal Affairs Ministry service. Before the piece was even released, the police opened criminal law proceedings over ‘unlawful gathering of information’ about their colleague. At first, they made our team give written explanations. And now I, the author of the investigation, have been summoned for questioning, too,” Darya Timoshkova wrote.
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The journalist added that she had expected her work would result in a completely different outcome.
“I thought the police would take an interest in where the money buying public servants’ families a fleet of elite cars and expensive real estate was coming from. But for now all of the police’s attention is fixed on us, the journalists who are trying to find out the source of this wealth,” Timoshkova concluded.
The journalist said in comments to IMI’s representative that the investigation would be released this week.
“In my opinion, this is definitely an attempt at pressure and influence by the subject of our investigation. Although, as I have been told, it was not he but his wife who filed the complaint with the police against us,” she remarked.
Tymoshkova added that the police had never tried to influence the team through phone calls or conversations before.
Despite having been summoned for questioning, Syla Pravdy plans to publish the investigation and continue working as usual.
Olha Buzuluk, the Volyn police spokeswoman whom IMI’s representative reached out to, said she would comment on the matter later.
Updated at 15:32.
Olha Buzuluk explained that the police had summoned the journalists to clear up details as part of an investigation, but found no unlawful acts had been committed and closed the proceedings.
“The journalists were summoned to establish certain details within criminal law proceedings. They have now been established, no unlawful acts were found to have been committed, and the proceedings have been closed,” the spokeswoman said.