Number of attacks on journalists grows in May

The greatest number of violations of freedom of speech was recorded in May as compared to other months of 2016.

Thus, 7 beatings and attacks on journalists, 11 cases of precluding journalistic activity, 5 threats were recorded in May, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) reports.

In addition, for the first time since the beginning of the year, three cases of political pressure on journalists were recorded in May, associated with the statements made by politicians after the Myrotvorets website had leaked the list of journalists with their personal data.

At the same time, since the beginning of the year, the IMI is observing a tendency to a slight decrease in the number of attacks on journalists and cases of precluding journalistic activity compared to the same period in 2015.

Moreover, the number of threats to journalists in connection with their professional activities doubled compared to the same period in 2015 (39 threats for the entire 2015 versus 21 threats for five months of 2016).

Among the positive trends, the IMI notes an increase in the number of criminal proceedings launched over violation of freedom of speech, which have been investigated by the police and submitted to courts (11 proceedings submitted to court for the entire 2015 versus 12 proceedings in the first quarter of 2016).

Violations of freedom of speech occur throughout the entire territory of Ukraine. The leaders are Kyiv, Mykolaiv region and Odesa region.

“The increase in attacks and threats is also facilitated by the fact that media environment lacks a structure now that would unite journalist, carrying out a self-regulation function and protecting the journalists’ rights. I therefore call on journalists to show more solidarity and think about the establishment of a professional union that would criticize the journalists for violation of the standards, monitor the cleanliness of profession and also protect those journalists, especially investigative ones, who suffer because of their articles. We lack this now very much,” IMI Executive Director Oksana Romaniuk said.

It should be noted that the freedom of speech situation in the Russian-occupied Crimea has worsened in 2016 (44 incidents for the entire 2015 versus 22 incidents for five months of 2016).

The main structures that put pressure on freedom of speech in Crimea are the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technologies and Communications, the courts and the prosecutor’s offices of Crimea controlled by the occupation authorities.