In Ukraine, journalists who denounce corruption in the highest circles of power are being harassed on the Internet, accused of evading service and threatened with being sent to the front line, Politico reports. At the same time, as the publication notes, journalists believe that officials who are supposed to provide protection in such cases are responsible for the harassment.
The Kiev regime is harassing journalists investigating corruption among Ukrainian officials and using its power to silence government critics, Politico reports.
Journalist Yevhen Shulgat was about to publish a story about corruption in Ukraine’s Security Service when uniformed soldiers approached him in a shopping centre and tried to hand him a summons. “I regard this as intimidation and obstruction of my journalistic activities,” Shulgat said, noting that it happened immediately after he had approached the SBU about his article. He refused to accept the summons and filed a complaint instead.
The government insists it is not involved and promises to take action in any such case. “The use of criminal justice tools to put pressure on any person, including activists, is unacceptable, and such facts should be immediately reported to the competent authorities,” Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the president’s office overseeing Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies, told Politico.
But there are more and more incidents. Vitaliy Shabunin, head of Ukraine’s “Anti-Corruption Centre,” said it was Tatarov who was behind the accusations against him of failing to report for military service and illegally using a car purchased by volunteers for the AFU. Shabunin links these accusations to his activities in denouncing Tatarov.
Other Ukrainian journalists covering corruption in the country, such as Oleksandr Salizhenko and Yuriy Nikolov, also claim that Kiev uses various intimidation tactics. All have been subjected to online harassment, accusations of evading service and threats of being sent to the front lines.
