U.S. Committee to Protect Journalists demands attackers of Volodymyr Siedov be brought to justice

The Ukrainian authorities should quickly investigate the attack on 68-year-old anti-corruption journalist and editor-in-chief of the Visti Ananiyivshchyny newspaper, Volodymyr Siedov, and bring the perpetrators to justice, the U.S. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ )said on Friday.

As earlier reported, on July 12, in the park near the house of Volodymyr Siedov located in the city of Ananiyiv, Odesa Region, unknown persons attacked the journalist from behind. When he fainted, they trod on his right hand, breaking two fingers.

“The CPJ condemns the attack on veteran journalist Volodymyr Siedov and calls on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure a timely investigation. No journalist should be subjected to such brutal violence as a result of journalistic investigations in the public interest,” said Gulnoza Said, the European and Central Asia coordinator of the CPJ. “The Ukrainian authorities must bring the alleged attackers to justice and ensure that Siedov can work safely.”

According to the NUJU, the journalist recognized his assailant and connected the attack with his journalistic activities. After the attack, Volodymyr Siedov spent two weeks in the hospital with a concussion and broken fingers. The journalist reported that he returned to work on August 4.

Siedov told the CPJ that he has “many times” reported allegations of corruption involving his alleged attacker and local authorities and regularly posts reports of crimes and bribery on Facebook.

The Ananiyiv Town Council and the State Department of Internal Affairs of the Odesa Region did not respond to the requests of the CPJ to provide answers to the questions sent by e-mail.

In a statement dated July 12, police said they were investigating the attack and had opened criminal proceedings for “violence against a journalist in connection with his legitimate professional activities.” But Siedov told the CPJ that he was “convinced that there will be no results” because the crimes committed by the Ananiyiv gang usually go unpunished.

Siedov said that about a year ago, armed men in military uniforms broke into his wife’s office and “started insulting her and threatening that if I write something against the government, they will kill her, me, and the whole family.” The journalist said that explosive packages were also detonated near his wife’s office, car tires were slashed, and he reported all the events to the police, but no one was arrested.

“I don’t rely on the police and the law,” he told the CPJ. “I think that my persecution as a journalist will continue and become worse, and I may have to leave Ukraine in order not to endanger my family. Now I am 68 years old. I have children and grandchildren and do not see a way out of this lawlessness and corruption.

As earlier reported, on June 15, in the Rivne Region, unknown persons set fire to the car of journalist Vlad Isayev.

On the night of June 15, unknown persons also tried to set fire to the house of veteran journalist Oleksandr Namozov in Rivne.

The CPJ is investigating both incidents to determine whether they were related to the reporters’ journalism.