(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on Interior Minister Mykola Bilokon to investigate “thoroughly and openly” a fire that destroyed part of the offices of the independent daily “Postoup” in the western town of Lviv on 19 August 2004. The fire, which was deliberately set, according to authorities, came two months before national presidential elections. The […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on Interior Minister Mykola Bilokon to investigate “thoroughly and openly” a fire that destroyed part of the offices of the independent daily “Postoup” in the western town of Lviv on 19 August 2004. The fire, which was deliberately set, according to authorities, came two months before national presidential elections.
The early morning fire at “Postoup” caused extensive damage, especially to the paper’s library. Managing director Andriy Biloous told RSF that a smaller fire had broken out at the paper’s offices a week earlier. He said the attacks were probably due to recently published articles exposing abuses of power by regional officials.
RSF also called for a speedy enquiry into whether a 17 August attack on Dmytro Shkuropat, of the daily paper “Iskra”, in Zaporizhya (570 km south of Kiev), was related to his journalistic work (see IFEX alert of 19 August 2004).
Shkuropat was attacked in the street and knocked unconscious. His attacker made off with tapes of interviews containing criticism of corrupt local and regional authorities. “Iskra” editor Viktor Ilichyov said the paper’s journalists had been threatened about two weeks earlier.
