Dismissal of the Chief Editor of a Dnipropetrovsk regional newspaper attracts the Prosecutor General’s attention

The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Deputy Prosecutor has been instructed to look into the dismissal of Vadim Klymentyev which the Union of Journalists believes to be an attack on freedom of speech. The prosecutor’s office has also been directed to check allegations that the former Chief Editor was impeded in carrying out his professional duties.  After carrying out their investigation, they are to report on the outcome and on measures taken to the time frame which the law stipulates, i.e. a month.

Vadim Klymentyev was dismissed from his post as Chief Editor of the regional newspaper “Zorya” on the decision of the regional council in March, and was replaced by Deputy of the Regional Council from the Party of the Regions Svitlana Kolesnikova. The Union of Journalists has declared this move to have been illegal.

The Prosecutor General is also to check a whole number of municipal newspapers of the reasons whose founds are breaking financial commitments. A list of such newspapers is being compiled and will include district and city newspapers where salary payments are more than two months in arrears.