In a 12 April 2000 letter to President Leonid Kuchma, CPJ condemned the recent beating of Oleg Liachko, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper “Svoboda”, demanded that the attack be investigated immediately and that the assailant – a prominent public official – be held accountable for his actions. On 13 March, Liachko published an article in […]
In a 12 April 2000 letter to President Leonid Kuchma, CPJ condemned the recent beating of Oleg Liachko, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper “Svoboda”, demanded that the attack be investigated immediately and that the assailant – a prominent public official – be held accountable for his actions.
On 13 March, Liachko published an article in “Svoboda” (formerly “Politika”), which alleged a series of links between Ukrainian politicians, state security agencies, and local criminal organizations. One of the public officials mentioned in the article was Yuri Kulbachenko, a deputy on the Odessa town council.
On 31 March, Kulbachenko called Liachko and invited him to a meeting that same day in the offices of Prime-Express, a travel agency owned by Kulbachenko’s wife. The agency is located at 23 Ulitsa Shelkovichnaya in Kiev.
At the meeting, Kulbachenko ordered Liachko to reveal his source. When Liachko refused, Kulbachenko beat the journalist severely with his fists, bloodying his face and causing a concussion. Another person was present in the room, but did not participate in the beating. Kulbachenko told Liachko that he would never leave the office, and that no one would ever find him.
Fearing for his safety, Liachko promised to write a second article retracting the allegations he had made about Kulbachenko. After the journalist was allowed to leave, he immediately sought medical help and contacted the police.
On 11 April, the police told Liachko that his file had been closed on 6 April and that there would be no further investigation into the beating by Kulbachenko. The police gave no explanation for their decision and refused to allow Liachko to read his own file. To date, police have not interviewed Kulbachenko in connection with the attack.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– expressing outrage at this attack
– noting that journalists have the right under his country’s Constitution and under international law to express their views and opinions freely, and the fact that a public official would go unpunished after using violence to deprive the journalist of this right calls into question his government’s commitment to press freedom
– further noting that the fact that police abruptly closed their investigation of the Liachko case suggests that they are under political pressure
– demanding that His Excellency use his good offices to ensure that the prosecutor-general opens an inquiry immediately
– suggesting that Kulbachenko must be brought to justice if the charges are substantiated
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Leonid Kuchma
President of Ukraine
vul. Bankivska 11
Kiev, Ukraine
Fax: +380 44 293 7364 / 291 6161 / 293 1001
E-mail: postmaster@ribbon.kiev.ua
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
