Ukrainian police on Tuesday assaulted journalists and an editor working for the Express newspaper, who had come to the office of a regional prosecutor to inquire about another Express reporter arrested without charge the previous day.
The journalist was detained in Horodok, in Ukraine’s western region of Lviv. The attack, which was filmed (the footage was later uploaded to Youtube and can be viewed here), came a day after police had arrested a journalist from the same paper, who had recently written an investigative report exposing corruption in the regional government.
On the morning of 12 April, two people claiming to be law enforcement officials reportedly arrived at the home of Express General Director Andrey Vey, who was the author of the investigative report, and forced him to accompany them to the office of the regional prosecutor for questioning. When his colleagues attempted to find out what had happened to him, they were beaten by police and a video camera was smashed.
The Express has reportedly been the target of persecution by the authorities, including a suspected arson attack on the editor-in-chief’s home, and the shooting at windows of the newspaper’s office.
These recent developments are adding to fears that the climate for journalists may be worsening in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych took office in February.