The lawyer of local TV channel was beaten in Odessa
MP Yuri Karmazin communicated at the sitting of the Parliament that on 15 May about 11 p.m. Aleksandr Midin, the lawyer of the TV company “Odessa+”, was beaten. According to the words of the MP, the attack had the political motives, since the attackers took away the documents of the company. Now Aleksandr Midin stays in a hospital, his state is rather grave. Yuri Karmazin also said that the TV channel was “persecuted by the people of Odessa mayor Ruslan Bodelian”.
"Forum", www.for-ua.com
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Tetiana Goriachova: this crime is connected with my professional activities
It is dangerous for life to be an independent journalist in Ukraine – this thesis was more than once stated in the reports of the Council of Europe and other human rights protecting organizations. One of the examples is the story of Tetiana Goriachova. She became a laureate of the International women’s media-foundation, which had been created in the USA. This premium is given to women-journalists, who demonstrated the extraordinary strong character in spite of censorship, attacks and threats. This year the premium was given also to Marielos Monson from Guatemala, Anne Garels from the USA and Magdalena Ruiz Ginazu from Argentina.
Tetiana Goriachova is the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Berdiansk delovoy”, she is 36 years old. She conducted journalist’s investigation of corruption, when, in January 2002, some stranger splashed the dilute hydrochloric acid in her face.
-- Tetiana, what you felt, when you learned that you became a laureate of the international premium?
-- This was a surprise for me. I am shocked, since I understand clearly that there many journalists in Ukraine, including women, who are more experienced and talented, who work under extreme conditions, and deserved this premium.
-- How is your health now? I heard that you were treated in the USA?
-- Really, last October I visited the USA. The visit was sponsored by the Washington branch of IREX-Promedia and IREX-Promedia-Kyiv headed by Tim O’Connor. I am very grateful to these people. Hal Forter, a professor of journalism and the former editor of “The Los-Angeles Times”, and another very influential sponsor paid for the consultations and diagnostics in the clinic in Dallas. Now my sight is more or less normal, my right eye is healthy for 100%, and left eye – for 60%. The doctor from the Dallas clinic said that the state of the left eye would not deteriorate, but it would not improve too.
-- How the investigation of your case is going? Is it known what were the reasons of the attack?
-- The case is not closed, and the investigation lasts. The man, who is suspected of the attack, disappeared, and law-enforcing organs are looking for him. He is a young, 30-years-old, drug addict. Yet, I believe: this crime is connected with my professional activities. The attack was committed during the election campaign.
-- You dealt with the problem of corruption?
-- Yes, I wrote about the corruption in the local power organs in Berdiansk. According to the decisions of Zaporozhye court, of the district court and Berdiansk court, four officials of the town executive committee were acknowledged to be guilty of corruption, and I wrote four articles about this.
-- It is a prevalent opinion abroad that there is no real freedom of speech in Ukraine. What do you think about this?
-- I reckon that the freedom of speech exists in Ukraine, but it is cruelly persecuted. The story, which happened with me, is a glaring example of this persecution.
Maryana Drach, Radio “Liberty”, 12 May 2003, http://radiosvoboda.org