I’m back in business: Graham Phillips on his detention by Kiev security forces

Published time: May 21, 2014 23:48

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Graham Phillips (Photo from grahamwphillips.com)

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Army, Crime, Law, Mass media, Police,Russia, UK, Ukraine

After 36 hours of detention and questioning by various security forces, suspecting him of spying for Russia, British journalist Graham Phillips has been released without any charges pressed. The RT contributor described his time spent captive.

Phillips was arrested on Tuesday at a checkpoint near Mariupol while investigating the bloodshed in the police headquarters in the southeastern port city on May 9, 2014. The journalist explained that he was just taking photos and talking to the armed men at the roadblock as he has done before “dozens of times” covering the turmoil in eastern Ukraine.

‘Things escalated when they saw I work for RT’

“I was questioning these soldiers at the checkpoint in Mariupol on what happened on that day, and I’ve done that a lot of times before.”

“And then they saw that I work for RT, and then things escalated after that,” Phillips explained. “It got more serious this time. They started phoning people and then I was detained. I had my things taken off of me and interrogated quite thoroughly.”

“I was with soldiers at this point at a block post and then the SBU came, this is the Ukrainian Secret Services.”

That is where Phillips said that he knew that he wasn’t going to get released. Two locals accompanying Phillips were both released soon. He in the meantime was taken away late on Monday night, around 9 pm local time, after having spent 9 hours at the military checkpoint.

‘I was held at a gun point and that was quite dramatic’

The UK journalist said that he was transferred to Zaorozhye in a police van at “gun point,” where he was delivered to an army base barracks. “An SBU man made it quite clear that I was under detention,” Phiilips told RT.

“I was spoken to in quite robust terminology. There was no question that I was a prisoner,” the journalist said.

The RT stringer specified that he clearly understood the line of questioning by the Ukrainian authorities, as he speaks and understands Russian.

“They were alright. I mean they fed me, they looked after me, but I was held at a gun point and that was quite dramatic,” he told RT.

“I had a bulletproof vest on, and that for some reason triggered some sort of a response. They were telling me that I needed to have some license for this bulletproof vest and this helmet. They basically confiscated my bulletproof vest.”

‘Are you the guy with a bounty on your head?’

The Ukrainian authorities also accused him of being a spy, Phillips says. Working for Russian TV is a“black spot”, UK national says, that is why the soldiers looked at him “with particular wariness.”

“You are working for Russian TV? What is your purpose? Are you a spy?” Phillips described the kind of questions he was asked.

Answering the question whether or not he felt in danger, the RT stringer replied that every journalist knows “if you make a wrong move, the gun does not ask a question twice.”

“They found some clips of mine. They were looking through the phone of my taxi driver, my partner, my helper, and they found some clips of mine that he had on that phone and then they knew who I was. And then the SBU guy came. He really quickly ascertained exactly who I was, and was asking me questions pertaining to quite specific details, such as am I the guy with the bounty on his head?”

Phillips says that despite the incident he stands by his objective journalism and believes he has not done anything wrong. He also thanked RT for giving him support, accreditation, and “full endorsement.”

“I’ve been asked quite specific questions about me, about my pieces, and about Crimea,” Phillips says. “I as a journalist went up to Crimea and stood by that referendum, the validity of this referendum.”

“They disagreed with it,” Phillips said about Security Service’s view on his reporting, “but the bottom line is that they let me free, I’m ok, and I’m hoping that I might get my things back tomorrow.” He says that at the end of the day the Ukrainian authorities treated him “fairly.”

“There is no deportation and I’m back in business,” Phillips concluded his interview with RT.

Ukraine 2014. Der Fall Krasnoarmeisk/Tagesthemen – das Video, anklicken. Wer lügt, wer sagt die Wahrheit? **

tags: scholl-latour und desinformation, ukraine-kalter krieg 2014

http://www.myvideo.de/embed/9575113/

Wie die Website “Propagandaschau” den Fall Krasnoarmeisk/Tagesthemen analysiert:  http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/05/21/ukraine-2014-der-fall-krasnoarmeisk-tagesthemen-wie-die-website-propagandaschau-analysiert/

Deutsche TV-Berichterstattung in der Woche vor den Ukraine-Wahlen – der Fall Krasnoarmeisk:  http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/05/21/ukraine-2014-aufmerksame-deutsche-medienkonsumenten-bemerken-auch-in-der-tv-ukraine-berichterstattung-immer-mehr-ungereimtheiten-besonders-vor-den-bevorstehenden-wahlen-was-soll-man-glauben-de/

“Tagesthemen” am 21.5.2014:”Vor einigen Tagen starben hier zwei Anwohner durch die Kugeln der neuen Machthaber im Osten der Ukraine. Die Mitarbeiter des lokalen Fernsehens zeigen uns die Bilder.”

“…neue selbsternannte Herrscher im Donezk…verbreiten Angst und Schrecken.” ”Krasnoarmeisk ist eher Kiew-treu.”

 Ausriß. Laut “Tagesthemen” wurde dieser Mann Opfer der “prorussischen Separatisten”. 

Laut ukrainischem Lokal-TV wurde der Mann indessen Opfer der Machthaber in Kiew.  Das Kuriose – gemäß dem Tagesthemen-Bericht hatten lokale Medienmacher dem deutschen Korrespondenten exakt den tatsächlichen Sachverhalt erklärt – worauf der Korrespondent jedoch genau das Gegenteil berichtete. 

“Tagesthemen” zeigt sogar den Tatort – wer Russischkenntnisse, Ukrainischkenntnisse hat, versteht sofort. Die Blumen wurden niedergelegt für Opfer der Kiewer Machthaber – Tagesthemen berichtete indessen etwas ganz anderes – ein Musterbeispiel, kein Einzelfall. 

 Ausriß. Laut “Tagesthemen” ein böser Separatist – laut Faktenlage indessen der Angehörige des Kiewer Terrorkommandos. Tagesthemen:”Als eine friedliche Menschenmenge gegen den Aufmarsch der Schwerbewaffneten protestierte, begannen die zunächst in die Luft zu schießen – und dann auch auf die Menschen.”

Dann zeigt “Tagesthemen” das Foto eines Erschossenen: “Bilder, die nicht nur hier immer mehr Menschen wütend machen.” Ein hochinteressantes Musterbeispiel für medienkundlich Interessierte, Mediensteuerungs-und Manipulationsforscher – denn es war ja alles genau entgegengesetzt der “Tagesthemen”-Darstellung – gerichtet an ein großes, politisch besonders interessiertes deutsches Fernsehpublikum.

Ein anderer bemerkenswerter Fall:  http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/05/15/ukraine-2014-manipulationstricks-juden-und-antisemitismus-in-der-ukraine-website-propagandaschau-zu-details/

 http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/02/20/demonstranten-schiesen-auf-dem-maidan-auf-polizisten-tagesschau-2022014-spatnachmittags/

 http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/04/12/%E2%80%9Dnun-schlagt-der-pro-russische-mob-zuruck%E2%80%9D-tagesschau-1242014-zu-den-protesten-in-der-ostukraine-gegen-die-kiewer-putschregierung/

Europawahlkampf – wie denkt und fühlt Angela Merkel(CDU)? Zeitdokument:  http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/04/16/ukraine-2014-und-nato-mobilmachung-an-ruslands-grenze-zeitdokument-merkel-verteidigt-irak-kriegfaz-rd15-millionen-kriegstote/

Merkel und Timoschenko:

http://www.hart-brasilientexte.de/2014/03/27/weiter-warten-auf-merkel-positionierung-zu-ihrer-freundin-timoschenko-bisher-nur-2-satze-armselig-oberflachliche-alibi-kritik-von-regierungssprecher-%E2%80%9Egewaltbilder-gewaltphantasien-liegen-we/