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Alert

Shots fired at office of daily "Express" for third time in six months

(IMI/IFEX) - The Frankivskiy district police department in the city of Lviv will conduct an investigation into a case involving attacks on the editorial office of the daily "Express".

On 22 October 2009, "Express" said that unidentified individuals fired on the windows of their office for the third time in six months. According to the daily's journalists, live cartridges were used. Denis Kharchuk, the director of police in the Lviv region, said however that air guns were used, not live cartridges. The latest incident took place on 6 October.

The daily's journalists believe someone is trying to intimidate them, but do not know which published information might be the reason for the attacks.

Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko ordered the minister of the interior to investigate the case as soon as possible and took it under her personal control. "It is inadmissible to intimidate journalists in such a brutal way," the prime minister said. She also ordered the Security Service of Ukraine to conduct a probe into the case.