One of the Most Commonly Used Methods of Pressure on Journalists and Bloggers Is an Arbitrary
Crimean Human Rights Group 2 ne of the most commonly used methods of pressure on journalists and bloggers is an arbitrary detention. Such actions were mainly carried out by representatives of law enforcement structures or paramilitary units, with the journalists having been usually detained without drawing up any reports. In some cases, battery, injuries, theft or damage to the property of journalists during such detentionsO were recorded, though the occupying authorities refused to investigate these facts. YEAR 2014 n March 4th 2014 the shooting teams of «Al Jazeera» and «1+1» TV Channels were blocked in the military unit close to Yevpatoria. The unknown people encircled their vehicles, demand- ed them to show the records and allowed them to go only in several hours1. On March 5th 2014 the ‘self-defence’ members did not allow the journalists of «1+1» TV ChannelO to enter the territory of Crimea. Earlier, when entering the peninsula, the attackers took the shooting team hostages and threatened them with using the journalists as ‘a human shield’ – the jour- nalists were released only after the lengthy negotiations. Dunja MIJATOVIĆ in Crimea. Screenshot of Bogdan KUTEPOV’S video/ Hromadske TB, March 5th 2014 On March 5th 2014 the ‘self-defence’ blocked Ms Dunja Mijatović, an OSCE Freedom of Speech Rep- resentative, who was meeting with Crimean mass media editors and civil activists, in the center of Sim- feropol. Then she and persons who escorted her were forced to go to the Simferopol Airport2. On March 9th 2014 the unknown wearing the military uniform detained two groups of Ukrainian journalists at the entrance to Crimea: , Mr Oles Kromples, a GLAVCOM website camera reporter, and Ms Yelena Maksimenko, TYZHDEN’ journalist as well as their driver Yevgeniy Rakhno.
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