Journalist Liudmyla Osadchuk of the Chernivtsi-based outlet Molodyi Bukovynets tried to get information about the renovation progress at the Chernivtsi Oblast Hospital’s infectious diseases ward twice, but was turned down, the journalist reported in a blog post on the outlet’s website.
Osadchuk said, she had wanted to know what stage the budget-funded repairs were at, but received no response from those responsible for the work. First, the hospital’s director general, Dmytro Dombrovskyi, cancelled their meeting at the last minute, explaining that Vitaliy Bondar, deputy chair of Chernivtsi Oblast Military Administration, had learned of the journalist’s visit and officials had decided to first hold an “internal meeting” before sharing any information with the press.
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Liudmyla Osadchuk said that she had come back to the site two weeks later and tried to speak with the director of the contractor firm carrying out the works. He, however, advised her to contact the client commissioning the work — the Oblast Military Administration’s Large-Scale Construction Department. In a phone conversation, the department head asked the journalist to submit a formal query and claimed that Osadchuk had “violated the law,” without specifying which law he meant.
Molodyi Bukovynets team approached Ruslan Osypenko, chair of Chernivtsi Oblast Military Administration, and the department in question, asking why the journalist had not been provided information about the progress of the renovations, the use of budget funds, and the completion timeline for the works.
In comments to IMI’s regional representative, Liudmyla Osadchuk said that following the release of the piece, officials at Chernivtsi Oblast Military Administration had responded to the newsroom’s inquiry and promised to share all the necessary information regarding the progress of the repair work and the use of budget money.
Earlier, the Human Rights Commissioner opened proceedings following a complaint by journalist Danylo Mokryk, who said the President’s Office had refused to disclose the information he had requested.