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Inconvenient truths about Yanukovych a state secret?

28.08.2013    source: blogs.pravda.com.ua
Customs officers stopped and detained two young women taking the film “Open Access” to Berlin and now want to check it for state secrets. As Natalya Sokolenko writes, it contains no state secret, only state shame, its name being Mezhyhirya (the President’s highly controversial residence
On her Ukrainska Pravda blog Natalya Sokolenko writes that early on Friday morning two young women were stopped and searched by customs officers at Boryspil Airport in Kyiv.  The officers suspected the women of trying to carry out a state secret from the country, she writes.  This secret, in their view, was contained in the film Open Access which one of the women, Alisa Ruban was due to present in Berlin that day.

They copied the film and are planning to carry out an expert assessment to ascertain whether or not it contains state secrets.

“I have watched this film about 20 times when together with Alisa Ruban and well-known journalists and civic activists we showed “Open Access” in cities throughout Ukraine. And I can tell you: there is no state secret there however there is the state’s shame, and its name is Mezhyhirya.

Mezhyhirya is the former state residence where Khrushchev, Brezhnev and later Prime Ministers of independent Ukraine relaxed.  Until during his first term as Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych went there … and never left.  Now this is private territory where it’s unclear on what and where HONESTLY earned money Viktor Yanukovych is building his estate.

The hero of the film, Ukrainska Pravda journalist Serhiy Leshchenko, together with friends from the movement Stop Censorship, guided by the Public Information Act has asked in various authorities to see the documents on the basis of which Mezhyhirya passed from state ownership into private hands.  Writing parallel to this in the film is another theme – the specific manner in which Viktor Yanukovych communicates with journalists. And of course the property of the current Ukrainian President is shown – an example of unprecedented tastelessness and megalomania.”

The author expresses the hope that the customs officers, having viewed the film, will  apologize to Alisa Ruban and Iryna Ivankiv.

She goes on to say that they will continue to show the film in Ukrainian cities and thanks the customs officers who through their idiotic actions drew the attempt of Ukrainian and international journalists to their film.

“And one other thing, in accordance with the Public Information Act we will be sending a request to State Customs Service asking to see the documents which the customs officers were guided by in detaining and searching Alisa Ruban and Iryna Ivankiv, as well as the makeup and the conclusions of the commission which will be looking for a state secret in “Open Access”. 

 

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