The police to investigate death threats to "Chetverta Vlada" chief editor

The police have opened a case over death threats to the "Chetverta Vlada" chief editor Volodymyr Torbich. Law enforcers are checking the offensive text messages sent to Torbich by the former PR manager for Anatoliy Shariy's party in Rivne, cameraman Eldar Magomedov, reports "Chetverta Vlada".

According to the media outlet, on November 29, 2023, a Rivne district police department received a report from Maria Yustytska, head of communications at the Rivne Oblast National Police Headquarters.

The report says that a policewoman was monitoring the "Chetverta Vlada" website and came across an article titled "The Rivne 'Shariyites' send death threats to Chetverta Vlada editor-in-chief" and penned by the Institute of Mass Information representative in the Rivne oblast, Hanna Kalaur. It reports on threats of physical violence received by the chief efitor.

On the same day, the police filed a statement about an alleged crime committed under Part 1 of Article 345-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (threatening a journalist with death or violence for their legal professional work) to the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations.

The maximum penalty for this crime is imprisonment for up to three years.

On January 4, 2024, the "Chetverta Vlada" chief editor Volodymyr Torbich went to the district police department to testify after being summoned by the investigator.

"Today, the investigator questioned me about the details of the case. I did not file a statement myself, because I do not believe that Magomedov will be prosecuted for these covert threats. He is like a bully: he threatens many people and tries to scare many people, but is worthless himself. If I took threats from people like Eldar seriously, I would have had pick some other profession, not journalism," said Volodymyr Torbich.

He also added that, according to the investigator, they have arranged a linguistic examination of Eldar Magomedov's statements.

"Chetverta Vlada" provides examples of Magomedov's text messages sent to Volodymyr Torbich on different days: "You must be aware that 'the Earth is round'"; "There is a time and occasion for everything – yours is ahead." "Where are you now? Let me come over and we'll have a talk. Are you afraid of me?) Or are you all bark no bite? Well then, wait and get ready)".

As the IMI reported, in late November, Eldar Magomedov, who is affiliated with the Rivne branch of Shariy's party, texted implied death threats to the "Chetverta Vlada" editor-in-chief, Volodymyr Torbich. The threats had to do with a photo featuring Magomedov that Volodymyr Torbich posted on Facebook and that Magomedov believes to have been taken by Torbich. The photo confirms that Eldar Magomedov was present at the wake for Taras Davydiuk, a soldier and "Horyn.Info" editor-in-chief who was killed in action on November 8. Many people in Rivne were surprised and outraged by Magomedov's presence at the wake, because Eldar Magomedov is considered one of the "Shariyites" who assaulted Taras Davydiuk in 2019 on the eve of the parliamentary elections.