IPI Worried About the Fate of Ukrainian Editor
September 23, 2000 - 0:0
VIENNA The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, is deeply worried about the fate of Ukrainian editor Hryhoriy Gongadze, a press release said here Thursday.
According to the Vienna-based IPI, on September 16, Gongadze failed to return to his home in Kiev, where his wife and children were waiting for him. Gongadze is the editor of the Internet newsletter Pravda Ukrayiny. The newsletter has acquired a reputation for being critical of Ukraine's incumbent government, with reports of alleged corruption among senior officials.
Prior to his disappearance, Gongadze had complained that police were harassing him and his colleagues about possible complicity in a murder. Gongadze has denied any involvement and accused police of trying to intimidate him.
Several Ukrainian journalists and lawmakers released a statement commenting on Gongadze's disappearance: "During the years of Ukrainian independence, not a single high-profile crime against journalists was fully resolved," the statement read. "The lack of results ... gives us grounds to state that nobody is interested in the fate of our colleagues except for journalists".
These views seem to correspond to the past history of attacks against the Ukrainian press.
"In light of these developments, we urge your excellency to take appropriate action to ensure a full and swift investigation into Gongadze's disappearance. Furthermore, we urge your excellency to take necessary measures to guarantee the safety of journalists reporting on developments in Ukraine.", said IPI Director Johann P. Fritz in an open letter to Leonid Kuchma the Ukrainian president.
(IRNA)
According to the Vienna-based IPI, on September 16, Gongadze failed to return to his home in Kiev, where his wife and children were waiting for him. Gongadze is the editor of the Internet newsletter Pravda Ukrayiny. The newsletter has acquired a reputation for being critical of Ukraine's incumbent government, with reports of alleged corruption among senior officials.
Prior to his disappearance, Gongadze had complained that police were harassing him and his colleagues about possible complicity in a murder. Gongadze has denied any involvement and accused police of trying to intimidate him.
Several Ukrainian journalists and lawmakers released a statement commenting on Gongadze's disappearance: "During the years of Ukrainian independence, not a single high-profile crime against journalists was fully resolved," the statement read. "The lack of results ... gives us grounds to state that nobody is interested in the fate of our colleagues except for journalists".
These views seem to correspond to the past history of attacks against the Ukrainian press.
"In light of these developments, we urge your excellency to take appropriate action to ensure a full and swift investigation into Gongadze's disappearance. Furthermore, we urge your excellency to take necessary measures to guarantee the safety of journalists reporting on developments in Ukraine.", said IPI Director Johann P. Fritz in an open letter to Leonid Kuchma the Ukrainian president.
(IRNA)