Media wars create information vacuum in Ukraine
More than a year after the December 2013 mass attack against journalists at Kiev’s Maidan Square, which coincided with the Ukrainian police’s violent dispersal of protesters rallying against the policies of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, the press in the beleaguered nation continue the battle for survival. The biggest problem remains impunity in attacks against journalists.
Mission Journal: Attacks on journalists in Ukraine lead to information vacuum
“There are no [independent] Ukrainian journalists left in Donetsk,” said Aleksei Matsuka, chief editor of the regional news website Novosti Donbassa (News of Donbass). “They have fled the region since pro-Russia separatists started targeting and kidnapping reporters,” Matsuka told CPJ during our brief meeting in Kiev.
Journalists must be allowed to work in eastern Ukraine
New York, May 2, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s detention of several journalists–from CBS television, BuzzFeed, and Sky News–in Sloviansk, where pro-Russia separatists have for weeks harassed, obstructed, and detained journalists covering the crisis in eastern Ukraine. All of the journalists were released after being interrogated for hours, news reports said.
Journalists missing, attacked covering crisis in Ukraine
New York, April 29, 2014–At least two journalists who traveled to eastern Ukraine have been reported missing in the past week, while at least four journalists have been attacked, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the targeting of journalists and media outlets in Ukraine and calls on all parties…
Two journalists freed, one still in custody in eastern Ukraine
New York, April 25, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of two journalists in eastern Ukraine and calls for the release of a third journalist who has not been heard from since April 15. Sergei Lefter, reporter for the Warsaw-based Open Dialogue Foundation, is reportedly in custody of pro-Russian separatists led by Vyacheslav…
In Ukraine, another journalist missing, newsroom destroyed
New York, April 23, 2014–Three local and international journalists are missing or being held hostage in eastern Ukraine, while unidentified assailants burned down the offices of a newspaper. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ukrainian authorities to ensure the safety of journalists covering the crisis.
VICE journalist held by pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine
New York, April 22, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the safety of Simon Ostrovsky, a reporter with the U.S.-based global news channel VICE News, who is being held in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. Ostrovsky is in the custody of pro-Russian separatists led by self-proclaimed “people’s mayor” Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, according to…
Independent editor assaulted in northeastern Ukraine
New York, April 17, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a brutal attack on an editor in Ukraine and calls on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and apprehend the perpetrators. The editor should also be provided with protection while he is recovering in the hospital, CPJ said.