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Reporters in Ukraine face extreme physical danger, Ukrainian press union warns

The fact that media workers’ security is in danger has raised alarm bells, as attacks on journalists are not being investigated properly, says the Ukrainian press union head

KIEV, November 14. /TASS/. The fact that media workers’ security is in danger has raised alarm bells, as attacks on journalists are not being investigated properly, Sergei Tomilenko, Head of Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists, said on Wednesday.

"The issue at hand is the extremely dangerous situation concerning the physical safety of journalists and the alarming situation regarding freedom of speech in Ukraine in general," he stressed in an interview with the Vesti newspaper. "Today, we can see dozens of incidents involving the use of force against journalists, and physical aggression. Even their property has been attacked, and TV channels blocked." Furthermore, there have been no cases when those who had attacked journalists were effectively punished, he added.

In addition to physical violence against media workers, Ukraine pursues a policy of suppressing freedom of speech. These acts include pre-trial blocking of websites, support by security officials and politicians for nefarious doxing websites like Myrotvorets, which "whip up hostility towards journalists," and sanctions against the 112.Ukraine and Newsone TV channels "for their allegedly pro-Russian stance."

"Today, the authorities and law enforcement agencies are not ready for civilized dialogue, which only increases our unease. The atmosphere for journalists working in Ukraine today is very unsafe," he stressed.

According to Tomilenko, the major cause for the ongoing crackdown on journalists is "total impunity" and the fact that "the government has steered this hostility towards journalists." Ukraine’s environment for freedom of speech is unlikely to improve in the near future, given the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, he warned.

"If the current situation remains unchanged, there will be more attacks on ‘unwelcomed’ journalists as the elections approach, and they will be harsher. The price for a political reset will be very high, so politicians’ campaign headquarters might orchestrate new attacks on journalists in the future," Tomilenko warned.

To tackle this predicament, the National Union of Journalists is calling for a "civilized discussion" with the authorities, he added.