The recent cases of attacks on journalists in Ukraine are unacceptable; Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE representative for Media Freedom, reported that in the message released at the OSCE official web site.
The official mentioned three particular cases.
On 12 February a car belonging to Sergei Guz, chief editor of the news website 5692.com and the newspaper Gorod 5692, was set on fire in the courtyard of his house in Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. The journalist links the attack to his professional activity and critical reporting on local authorities by his media outlets.
On 27 January and 10 February there were repeated attempts to set fire to TV studios used by music channels M1 and M2 in Kyiv.
‘These attacks clearly have the intent to harass members of the media and must not be tolerated,’ Mijatović said. ‘I welcome the fact that the police have launched an investigation into the arson attack on Sergei Guz’ car and I hope this crime will be swiftly and thoroughly investigated.’
The official again urged the Ukrainian government to put more efforts in investigation of the crimes against reporters in Ukraine – especially those committed since the beginning of Donbas conflict. ‘Only specific actions will stop intimidation of journalists and break the cycle of impunity’, her statement reads.
Source: OSCE
