(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Justice Minister Susan Stanik, RSF expressed its concern about an attack on journalist Oleg Liachko, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly “Svoboda” (“Freedom”). “We ask you to resolutely condemn this criminal act and to do everything possible to ensure that the attackers are identified and tried in court,” said RSF […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Justice Minister Susan Stanik, RSF expressed its concern about an attack on journalist Oleg Liachko, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly “Svoboda” (“Freedom”). “We ask you to resolutely condemn this criminal act and to do everything possible to ensure that the attackers are identified and tried in court,” said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard.
According to the information collected by RSF, on 31 March 2000, Liachko was attacked and beaten by two unidentified persons in the stairwell of his residence in Kiev. His attackers allegedly threatened him with further reprisals if he continued to hold certain views. The journalist was hospitalised, suffering from a cranial traumatism. He stated that he had received several telephone threats further to a number of articles which were critical of the secret service, published on 1 March in “Svoboda”‘s first issue. According to the journalist, State security agents also visited the weekly’s printing press further to the articles’ publication.
Liachko is the former editor-in-chief of the independent weekly “Politika”. On 24 June 1999, that publication had been found guilty of “disclosing State secrets”, further to the June 1997 publication of articles about several navy espionage cases.
