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Artistic reconstruction: Kalashnikov should be brought to answer

12.07.2008   

On 11 July Kyiv journalists staged a re-enactment of the event two years ago when a TV STB filming crew was set upon by a group led by National Deputy from the Party of the Regions Oleh Kalashnikov. They decided in this way to mark the second anniversary of the assault on journalist Margarita Sytnyk and cameraman Volodymyr Novosad, and to express protest at the recent termination of the criminal investigation.

On 12 July 2006 a group of people from the Party of the Regions, including Kalashnikov, obstructed the work of a television team from STB outside the Verkhovna Rada.

They forcibly removed a video cassette and the journalists were beaten. On 14 July the Pechersky District Prosecutor’s Office initiated a criminal investigation over obstruction of journalists’ legitimate professional activities.

There was a great deal of outrage over the incident and a parliamentary commission also found Kalashnikov’s behaviour reprehensible..

Yet not for the first time the investigation was dragged out until being terminated in April 2008 “for lack of elements of a crime”.  The public was only informed of this on 20 May.

Journalists continue to demand that:

  1. the Prosecutor General reports publicly on the criminal investigation initiated over the assault;
  2. the case reaches the court;
  3. those involved in the assault, including former National Deputy from the Party of the Regions Oleh Kalashnikov

Based on information from the Kyiv Media Trade Union

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