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112 Ukraine, NewsOne owner questioned, no charges slapped, TV channel specifies

Earlier on Thursday, Kozak told 112 Ukraine that he had been questioned under three articles

KIEV, October 3. /TASS/. Ukraine’s 112 Ukraine TV channel has specified that its owner, parliamentarian Taras Kozak, was summoned to the Security Service of Ukraine on Thursday to be questioned as witness in a terrorism case, but no charges were brought against him. The news came after earlier in the day the TV channel said Kozak had been charged under several articles related to terrorism.

"The owner of 112 Ukraine, Taras Kozak, was questioned at the Security Service of Ukraine as a witness," an anchor said.

Earlier on Thursday, Kozak told 112 Ukraine that he had been questioned under three articles. "One article is ‘terrorism’, another one is ‘financing of terrorism’ and a third one is ‘money laundering’. It was news to me," Kozak revealed. He added that the questioning had lasted about 40 minutes. "Today I was told about suspicions regarding terrorism and money laundering," a subtitle quoted him.

In his interview with the TV channel, Kozak claimed that he regarded all accusations as evidence-free and would defend his position in courts. "We will fight. I think that the truth will be on our side. They won’t pressure us into silence," he went on to say.

"Of course, we will be fighting in a legal way. We will be appealing to all international organizations, reaching out to journalists across the globe," he stressed.

Kozak also commented on the voting in the parliament on Wednesday, which practically okayed further activity of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting in its present composition. "Yesterday’s voting in Verkhovna Rada shows that the ruling party Servant of the People together with the president are working against the opposition, against TV channels, against the Opposition Platform-For Life Party, as the council in charge of television and broadcasting was reappointed yesterday," the politician said.

Sanctions against 112 Ukraine

On September 26, Ukraine’s National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting stripped five TV companies from the 112 Ukraine holding of their national broadcasting licenses. To explain the move, the Council said that under the licenses, the TV companies should have operated as regional ones instead of rebroadcasting the nationwide 112 Ukraine channel. National Council member Oleg Chernysh said that 112 Ukraine would only be able to operate through cable, satellite and online.

The 112 Ukraine TV channel slammed the watchdog’s decision as wrongful and said it considered such moves as "hardline censorship that calls into question freedom of expression in Ukraine." According to the channel, its audience dropped by 40% following the license revocation.