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A total of 26 attacks on journalists reported in Ukraine in 2016

In September, OSCE's representative for freedom of the media said harassment of journalists in Ukraine was a big problem

KIEV, October 11. /TASS/. Dozens of cases of violations of journalists’ rights and freedoms have been reported from Ukraine this year, the press service of the Ukrainian Institute of Mass Information said on Tuesday.

"In 2016, one murder of a journalist, 79 cases of obstruction of media activities, 26 attacks on journalists and seven censorship cases were reported," the institute said in its Press Freedom Barometer survey.

According to experts, most of these cases were reported from Kiev, Lvov and Volyn.

International organizations has repeatedly expressed concern over violations of journalists rights in Ukraine. A regular report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued on September 15 points that journalists in Ukraine report harassment and intimidation leading to self-censorship. "Journalists who have reported on the conflict or from armed group-controlled areas have found themselves as targets of online attacks carried out with the tacit consent - and at times declared support - of high-ranking Government officials," the reports says. Also in September, OSCE representative for freedom of the media, Dunja Mijatovic said harassment of journalists in Ukraine was a big problem.

The Institute of Mass Information collects data on violations of journalists’ professional rights in Ukraine to report them to international human right organizations.