• Topics / The right to a fair trial
• Topics / Freedom of expression
Journalists prevented from covering Tymoshenko trial
On Thursday 7 July journalists were not allowed into the courtroom of the Pechersky District Court where the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister, presidential candidate and leader of the main opposition party Batkivshchyna – BYUT was to continue. The court security guards would not even let journalists into the courtyard.
A journalist from Ukrainska Pravda arrived at 9 a.m. but was not allowed in. The guides refused to give grounds for this, while some journalists did get into the court.
National Deputies and some of their assistants were also admitted.
The head of the public security guards claimed that the journalists were not admitted since there weren’t places in the courtroom. He did not provide any response when it was pointed out to him that in the same court from 10 a.m. a hearing was beginning into the case of Oleksy Pukach (charged with involvement in the murder of Georgy Gongadze and journalists can go there.