IFJ Calls for Safe Return of Missing Ukraine Journalist

 
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for the safe return of Vasily Klimentyev, editor in chief of Novy Stil ( New style) newspaper who has been missing since 11 August.

"We are deeply concerned about the safety of Klimentyev," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "The Government must do all it can to identify his whereabouts and return him to his family and colleagues who must be fearing the worst."

According to security sources quoted in Ukrainian press, Klimentyev went missing on 11 August after he left his home with an unidentified man.  Klimentyev's colleagues say he set out to photograph luxurious residences belonging to a high ranking official in the Regional tax inspectorate. Shortly afterwards, contact with the journalist was lost.

The journalists' colleagues believe his disappearance is linked to his investigative work into corruption in local courts, the police and the tax inspectorate. This view was reinforced after his mobile phone was discovered on a boat on the Pechenezhsky reservoir on the outskirts of Kharkov. The police are investigating the possibility of premeditated murder.

Meanwhile, the authorities have promised a reward of 20,000 hryvna (approximately 2,500 US dollars) for information that could help establish the whereabouts of the missing journalist. The Minister of Internal Affairs for the Ukraine, Anatoly Mogilyov, and the chairman of the Kharkov Region administration, Mikhail Dobkin, have placed the investigation under their personal supervision, media reports say.

The IFJ says Klimentyev's disappearance raises the spectre of renewed violence against independent journalists, one month before the tenth anniversary of the brutal murder of prominent journalist Gyorgy Gongadze. This disappearance is the latest in a series of incidents and legal restrictions targeting journalists including assaults, surveillance and withdrawal of broadcasting licenses to private media outlets.

"There is clear evidence of attempts to roll back press freedom in Ukraine," added White. "We support Ukrainian journalists and their unions in their efforts to resist political interference, fight media manipulation and end violence against their colleagues."

For more information contact the IFJ at   +32 235 2207

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide