President’s guards use force against journalist

A journalist from TV Channel STB, Serhiy Andrushko, has complained that President Yanukovych’s guards applied force against him. 

“We were filming the President’s speech at the exhibition “Agro-2010”. After the President’s address, he went to look at the technology. My cameraman went with him together with the others, but I got a bit held up packing away equipment, cords, etc. When I headed off after them, an unidentified man blocked my path…”

Mr Andrushko says that the man refused to provide identification.

“When I warned him that I would film it all on my telephone, he twisted my arms and hurled me on the lawn. Another man joined him.”

In a commentary to “Telekritika”, Mr Andrushko said that the men released him when they saw that the incident was being filmed by a cameraman.   The journalist is presently waiting for the police to report the incident as a case of obstruction of his work as a journalist.

This is not the first occasion when there has been conflict between Yanukovych’s guards and journalists. On 3 June during the President’s address to the nation, there was conflict between guards and a journalist from Ukrainska Pravda.

From reports at “Ukrainska Pravda” and “Telekritika”