OSCE calls on Kiev to free Russian journalists, ‘stop intimidating media’

Published time: May 19, 2014 14:10
Edited time: May 19, 2014 16:34

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The Russian detained journalists are being investigated on the charges of “aiding the terrorist groups”. Screenshot from YouTube (Life-Maria Channel)

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The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has urged Kiev authorities to release the Russian journalists captured in eastern Ukraine, saying that intimidation and obstruction of media working in the country is “unacceptable.”

The OSCE’s representative on freedom of the media, Dunja Mijatovic, has addressed the coup-imposed acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov in a letter, urging to release the LifeNews journalistsdetained by Kiev forces on Sunday and thoroughly investigate the incident, Itar-Tass reports.

Mijatovic has condemned the harassment of journalists in Ukraine, noting that on May 15-16 a host of Russian journalists from Channel One, NTV, TVC and Zvezda channels were denied entrance at the country’s border despite “all of them have been accredited by the Ukrainian authorities for covering the presidential elections.”

In the letter, the OSCE representative has urged to “stop intimidating and threatening members of the media,” stressing that journalists must be allowed to do their jobs without fearing for their security.

The political powers in Ukraine “must fully realize that obstruction of the freedom of media is unacceptable,” Mijatovic said.

The detained journalists, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko, are being investigated on the charges of“aiding the terrorist groups,” deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (SNBO), Victoria Sumar, wrote on her Facebook page.

She added that there is “direct video evidence” of her claims, pointing at footage released on Monday showing Ukrainian troops rudely forcing a group of handcuffed people to get down on their knees and looking through belongings that appeared to have belonged to them.

Along with a close-up of the documents of two LifeNews journalists, the video showed some journalistic equipment, a pile of Ukrainian hrivnyas and Russian rubles, and a MANPAD with inscriptions in Polish. The third man shown kneeling on the ground was not identified.

The Ukrainian Security Service said on Monday, without elaborating, that two Russian citizens detained in the Donetsk Region with video equipment have been brought to Kiev for interrogation.

Meanwhile, a member of Russia’s presidential Human Rights Council negotiating with Kiev authorities, Maksim Shevchenko, said that the journalists are being accused of allegedly taking part in “violent interrogations” of ‘Alfa’ Ukrainian special service officers, and asking questions.

Shevchenko said he believes that the detained journalists did not take part in any interrogations, but some other journalists did, and in this sense LifeNews reporters were “set up” by those other people. The human rights activist said the council will ask distinguished Kiev lawyers to defend the LifeNews journalists in court.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday stressed that the Russian journalists detained in the Donetsk Region must be released immediately.

“We are concerned that during combat actions, which are led by [Ukrainian] armed forces with the participation of radicals, extremists, militants of the Right Sector and other groups, some journalists are suffering. Very often they are detained, faced with fictitious demands, which do not fit into generally recognized norms. The latter concerns two journalists from the LifeNews channel,” Lavrov said.

 http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/05/19/ukraine-2014-der-medien-fall-mariupol-leser-der-illustrierten-der-spiegel-erinnern-die-redaktion-weiter-an-fakten-doch-die-redaktion-reagiert-nicht/

Kleiner Leitfaden der Manipulationstricks von Medien und Politikern in der Ukrainekrise 2014: http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/05/05/ukraine-2014-die-manipulations-und-propagandamethoden-deutscher-medien-und-westlicher-politiker-deutsche-medienkonsumenten-weisen-auf-gangige-methoden-der-letzten-monate

Kein Wort über die verhafteten Journalisten?

Die Reporter des Medienholdings LifeNews, denen wir unter anderem es zu verdanken haben, dass die Welt über den illegalen Einsatz von UN-Hubschraubern durch die Kiewer Machthaber erfuhr, werden trotz OSZE-Protesten in Kiew in Gefangenschaft gehalten. Videos zeigen einen nicht hinnehmbaren Umgang mit den gefesselten Gefangenen.

Darüber verlieren die deutschen Journalisten erstaunlicherweise kein einziges Wort.

Man möge sich nur den umgekehrten Fall vorstellen!