The Ministry of Internal Affairs informed about high-profile cases related to journalists

The Institute of Mass Information received a response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the request concerning the investigation of 21 cases of impediment to professional activities of journalists the journalist organizations sent to the authorities on September 16, 2013. The response was signed on October 24, 2013.

The Chief Investigatory Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs informed that out of the mentioned 21 cases of impediment to professional activities of journalists, 2 cases have been sent to court with indictment, 5 have been closed for absence of a crime in the act, 3 cases have been inspected according to the Law "On Submissions of Citizens", 2 cases were not reported to the police, and the rest 9 are still on the stage of pretrial investigation.

The General Prosecutor’s Office also sent their response to the request. According to their data, criminal cases on 8 cases have been closed, 2 cases were not accepted in the Unified Register of pretrial investigations, in 2 cases the suspicion was reported and another notification was not handed as the perpetrator was sick. Eight cases were closed, among which the case of the beating of the Channel 5 journalist Andriy Kovaliov on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv on July 18, 2013, when the Vradiyivka rally was being dispersed.

At the same time, the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs signed by the Head of the Chief Investigatory Directorate  Valeriy Valinevych stated that 9 cases out of 21 violations were qualified according to Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, that is, "impediment to professional activities of journalists". Of them 2 cases were sent to court with indictment, 3 have been closed for absence of a crime in the act, and the rest (4 cases) are in the stage of the pretrial investigation.  

The letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not specify what these cases are about.