Authorities against „Ukrainske Slovo“
14.12.2003
A judge of the Rivne town court and a deputy of Rivne prosecutor, demand to recompense them the moral damage. The damage was inflicted by making public the results of the journalist investigation, in which the claimants are suspected of the participation in falsifying a criminal case, applying illegal investigation methods, exerting moral pressure and using threats and torture for obtaining evidence.
O. Timoshchuk, a judge of the Rivne town court, and A. Timoshchuk, a deputy of Rivne prosecutor, demand to recompense them the moral damage equal to 200 thousand UAH inflicted by the Oleg Teliga publishing house, a founder of the weekly „Ukrainske Slovo“, and Yurko Sirotiuk, the editor of the political department of the weekly. The damage was inflicted by making public the results of the journalist investigation, in which the claimants are suspected of the participation in falsifying a criminal case, applying illegal investigation methods, exerting moral pressure and using threats and torture for obtaining evidence.
Everybody knows that tortures are applied in the Ukrainian preliminary prisons. In the beginning of January 2002 the editor of the political department of „US“ received a note from the preliminary prison of Rivne. The author of the note, V. Grin, who had been summoned as a witness and then detained for hooliganism, informed about savage torture that were applied to him for obtaining false evidence and the confession that he was guilty of a theft, which he had not committed. Three other detained underwent the same procedure. All they were forced to confess the large-scale theft from a house situated in the village of Pantaliya of the Dubenskiy district of the Rivne oblast. By the way, the house belongs to the mother of the judge and prosecutor.
Besides, Sirotiuk got the information that both brothers Timoshchuks were present at the torture and were giving orders. He learned these facts from the advocate of other incarcerated. Moreover, the decision on the administrative arrest, in the result of which the witnesses turned into the detained for hooliganism and later – into the accused of the theft, was taken by the court, where O. Timoshchuk worked.
Major Yu. Khariniuk, the head of the criminal investigation department of the Dubenskiy district militia directorate, who had been the first officer investigating this case and refused to falsify the case, was dismissed and retired on a pension. The prosecutor’s office (where A. Timoshchuk worked and still works), to which the detained turned with the complaints, responded with formal replies.
Understanding the social importance of this case, as well as the direct danger to the life of the detained, editor of „US“ Yu. Sirotiuk made public the mentioned facts in the series of publications in his newspaper. The information about this scandalous case investigated by Sirotiuk was also published by other Rivne printed mass media, in particular, the newspaper „Rivne-rakurs“ (6 February 2003).
As a result, four accused, who spent in custody more than a year, were at last released. During this year one of them caught TB, and a chronic disease of another one became more acute.
Trying to cover up the traces, brothers Timoshchuks brought an action against Yu. Sirotiuk and „Ukrainske Slovo“. Taking into account the posts occupied by the claimants and the sum of the demanded compensation (paying the compensation will cause the closure of the newspaper and the publishing house, and the author of the article will give away all his salary for more than 18 years), it is clear that only strong social resonance and the active elucidation in the press will allow to solve this case fairly.
03 March 21:10
www.maidan.org.ua
Everybody knows that tortures are applied in the Ukrainian preliminary prisons. In the beginning of January 2002 the editor of the political department of „US“ received a note from the preliminary prison of Rivne. The author of the note, V. Grin, who had been summoned as a witness and then detained for hooliganism, informed about savage torture that were applied to him for obtaining false evidence and the confession that he was guilty of a theft, which he had not committed. Three other detained underwent the same procedure. All they were forced to confess the large-scale theft from a house situated in the village of Pantaliya of the Dubenskiy district of the Rivne oblast. By the way, the house belongs to the mother of the judge and prosecutor.
Besides, Sirotiuk got the information that both brothers Timoshchuks were present at the torture and were giving orders. He learned these facts from the advocate of other incarcerated. Moreover, the decision on the administrative arrest, in the result of which the witnesses turned into the detained for hooliganism and later – into the accused of the theft, was taken by the court, where O. Timoshchuk worked.
Major Yu. Khariniuk, the head of the criminal investigation department of the Dubenskiy district militia directorate, who had been the first officer investigating this case and refused to falsify the case, was dismissed and retired on a pension. The prosecutor’s office (where A. Timoshchuk worked and still works), to which the detained turned with the complaints, responded with formal replies.
Understanding the social importance of this case, as well as the direct danger to the life of the detained, editor of „US“ Yu. Sirotiuk made public the mentioned facts in the series of publications in his newspaper. The information about this scandalous case investigated by Sirotiuk was also published by other Rivne printed mass media, in particular, the newspaper „Rivne-rakurs“ (6 February 2003).
As a result, four accused, who spent in custody more than a year, were at last released. During this year one of them caught TB, and a chronic disease of another one became more acute.
Trying to cover up the traces, brothers Timoshchuks brought an action against Yu. Sirotiuk and „Ukrainske Slovo“. Taking into account the posts occupied by the claimants and the sum of the demanded compensation (paying the compensation will cause the closure of the newspaper and the publishing house, and the author of the article will give away all his salary for more than 18 years), it is clear that only strong social resonance and the active elucidation in the press will allow to solve this case fairly.
03 March 21:10
www.maidan.org.ua