8 Krupska str, Kyiv, 01042    tel. (044) 566-3085, 566-1534
 
     
« Strengthening Independent Media in Autonomous Republic of Crimea» - Internews launched competition

Internews Network’s Strengthening Independent Media in Autonomous Republic of Crimea (U-Media) Project is calling for grant proposals for projects that increase the quality and quantity of journalistic material available to the Crimean public.  The main goal is to empower citizens in Crimea by expanding their access to information and their ability to participate in public debate and political decisions on issues that affect them.
Read more...
 
 

Point of View

Does it honour you?

ImageBy Victoria Sumar

Today Vecherniy Kharkiv daily and Status quo online edition came out with a report that police officers had suffered bodily injuries as a result of a search operation at the apartment of Vyacheslav Ismaylov.

Actually, the both editions referred to a press release issued by the ministry of the Interior saying “when the above-cited citizen was informed through the house intercom we had to proceed with a search, he began uttering some obscenities and said he would use a firearm, if police officers approached his apartment”.

“Thus, we took a decision to call “Berkut” special force unit officers with the intent to force the entry door. The operation was conducted in presence of search witnesses and a representative of the local government body.

“As the apartment was searched, the journalist’s behaviour, as well as this one of his sons and wife was cynical, they used bad language, threatened the police officers  with a physical violence and dismissals from the ministry of the Interior.The police officers recorded all that on video”.

Frankly, it is hard to imagine how some unarmed persons could threaten the armed cap-a-pie “Berkut”-men with a physical violence.

Our journalist who is investigating the Klymentyev’s case now, was present at the scene. He said several times they called an ambulance for Ismaylov's wife, in order to prevent syncope. Not only she was unable to threaten anybody, she could not speak, as she was shocked by such a number of masked men armed with Kalashnikovs assault rifles.

There were five “Berkut”-men for each person in the apartment, and these brave soldiers, as it was found out, suffered physical violence…

Ismaylov was crying they tried to plant some white powder to his apartment, the journalists heard it. And today the police reported they did find drugs in the apartment…

So, I would like to ask these men with shoulder straps, who had signed this press release, and maybe this is a naïve question: have you ever heard what honour is?

All this smells a bad movie. But, unfortunately, this is Ukraine's reality.  This is a semi-criminal state where human rights is nonentity, where nor law, neither legitimacy exist. This is a country where its citizens are totally unarmed in front of the arbitrary rule of those who are supposed to protect them. This is Ukraine in 2010.  

Is this Ukraine for people?

 

IMI outcome


Upcoming events


Journalists won case against ex-governor of Chernihiv region
Wednesday, 09 December 2009

An appellate court of Chernigiv region withdrew decision of first instance on the legal action of the ex-governor of Chernigiv region Mykola Butka against the journalists of Dzerkalo Tyzhdnya weekly Illya Khomenko and  Volodymyr Fomenko and against several officials of Chernigiv state technologic university.The judges issued decision on 19 November. The plaintiff accused the journalists of spreading untruthful negative information on him in an article about falsified file on his work experience. As well the authours stated the ex-governer had some business interests, he bypassed the law, accelerated breakdown in economy and persecuted dissidents.

 

The appellate court examined several evidences which had been ignored by the first instance court. Namely, there were ante-mortem letter of ex-head of Chernigiv Chamber of commerce and industry Savchenko, audio records of some injured persons and official figures proving that Butka caused destruction of economic capacity of the region.

 

IMI

 
< Prev   Next >

Last comment

Criminal liability as a repressive tool, who is to profit by it?
ImageThe Ukraine MPs are going to resume an old practice of criminal liability for libel. May 17, the MP Vasyl Kyselyov, who had been elected as a member of the Party of Regions list, has submitted a respective bill at the parliament (Verkhovna Rada).
Read more...
 

Debate

At the beginning of June several attempts to restrict the journalists’ rights have been reported
Wednesday, 09 June 2010

The first week of June and the last week of May a number of incidents have been reported which are evidence of attempts made by new Administration of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers and some representatives of the governing party in the regions to restrict rights and freedoms of the mass media and Ukraine’s citizens. These are alarming attempts of the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and, being in his second job, co-owner of the most important TV channel to exert influence on procedure of delivering the authorizations to broadcast for two independent and critical towards authorities TV channels, Channel 5 and TVi. As response to this pressure the journalists have started a campaign “Stop to censorship!”, held the Journalist’s Day. One should remark, the action which involved several prominent journalists from national TV channels has not been even mentioned in the news at these TV channels. These are facts involving pressure by government bodies.

Read more...
 

Interview








Íàñòð³é äíÿ

chernob.jpg
IMI