Attack on Igor Danilenko, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Dankor” (Sumy)

The Ukrainian Association of publishers of periodicals (UAPP) prepared the appeal, which, in particular, reads: “We are demanding the decisive actions from militia. The attacks on journalists and publishers of mass media continue, but the law-enforcing organs do nothing”.

The UAPP received the response from V. Evdokimov, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine, “On the measures for the investigation of the hooligan actions committed against I. Danilenko, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Dankor””:

“The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine attentively considered your appeal. We established that at midnight of 24 September 2003 two unknown criminals sprayed some oily liquid into Danilenko’s face and escaped. The experts examined this liquid and did not find any toxic components. The Zarechny district militia precinct instituted the criminal case after the fact of the attack in accordance with part 1 Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (hooliganism). A group of detectives was created for the investigation of this offence. The group checks now several versions, including one connected with the professional activities of the victim. The law-enforcing organs of the Sumy oblast are trying to establish the identity of the attackers: the militiamen are analyzing the publications in the newspaper “Dankor” in order to find the information compromising some juridical or physical persons. The persons, who are registered in militia and medical establishments of the oblast, are also checked as to the participation in this attack. The investigation of the crime is controlled by the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine”.

The UAPP expresses its gratitude to the head of the CID for his response, but we want to remind that, along with the attack on I. Danilenko, we mentioned in our appeal the attack on Vinnitsa publishers Taradaykos (father and son) and other crimes against journalists: “The Ukrainian Association of publishers of the periodicals demands the immediate reaction of the Ministry of Interior to the facts of criminal terror against journalists and publishers. The UAPP proposes to create the special commission at the Ministry of Interior, which should regularly report to the public and mass media about the course of investigation of the crimes against mass media workers.   NOT A SINGLE attacker has been found until now.”

The commission was not created.

(Electronic bulletin of the Ukrainian Association of publishers of periodicals, “Novyny drukovanykh ZMI Ukrainy”, No. 39, 18 November 2003)