9 March 1999
MEDIA REPRESSION GROWS
Media repression has increased in the Ukraine in light of presidential elections in October, says Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Since the beginning of the year, four journalists have been attacked and one has been detained; two opposition newspapers are no longer being published; and two independent television broadcasters are being pressured, says RSF.
Several staff of the private television broadcaster STB were recently attacked. On 3 March, two masked intruders threatened Dmitro Dahno, STB's business manager, in his home. The assailants searched the apartment but did not take money nor any valuables. On 1 March, there was a fire at the apartment of Mikola Kniajitsky, STB president, who believes that he and some colleagues have been followed and had their telephones tapped. On 26 February, Sergei Korenev, STB cameraman, was attacked and had his camera and videotapes stolen. According to RSF, "STB's management believes that these incidents are retaliations from financial groups linked to the government. STB, which does not support any of the presidential candidates, is known for its reporting on corruption and the misappropriation of funds."
On 22 February, "Kievskie Vedomosti," one of the most influential private dailies in the country, ceased publication, because its accounts had been frozen for several months by authorities after journalists received numerous fines. The opposition weekly "Politika" has not published regularly since May 1998 because of a court case and because no Kiev printing house will agree to print the newspaper. On 26 January, Sergey Gorogeankin, director of the television network TV-7 in Mariupol, was violently beaten with a baseball bat in his building. On 13 January, Vladimir Efremov, editor in chief for the daily "Sobor" and a senior manager of TV-11, was detained when authorities accused him of committing irregularities in securing a loan for the newspaper in 1995. However, the journalist believes his arrest is connected to TV-11's broadcasting of a speech by Pavel Lazarenko, the main political opposition figure.
RSS