"Страна" публикует обращение к международным журналистским организациям в связи с угрозами со стороны власти
To representatives of international human rights and journalistic organizations
Dear colleagues!
Recently, journalists and staff of Strana.ua, an independent Ukrainian internet-newspaper, have been informed that Ukrainian authorities are preparing provocations against their newspaper.
In particular, we are aware that Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) prepares to raid the offices of Strana.ua and its key personnel. In addition, we believe that the SSU is hastily fabricating criminal cases against the managers and editors of Strana.ua. We are aware that the SSU has questioned dozens of people in trying to obtain evidence against Mr Igor Guzhva, Editor-in-chief and the owner of Strana.ua.
The editors of "Strana.ua" consider these actions as an attempt to paralyze the work of our newspaper in order to prevent the appearance of new investigative materials about corruption in the higher echelons of authorities.
Over the past year, Strana.ua published a number of high profile articles and investigations that irritated the leadership of the state. For example, we have published report from the Lipetsk factory "Roshen", located in Russia and owned by the President of Ukraine, journalistic investigation about commercial bloggers working in social networks for the authorities, a series of publication with corruption revelations by the MP Oleksandr Onishchenko, articles about the systematic pressure of authorities on Ukrainian media. Earlier, our journalists already faced increased attention of the security services.
In particular, representatives of the SSU at the airport "Borispol" conducted an inspection of personal belongings of the deputy editor of "Strana.ua" Svetlana Kryukova in search of some compromising material on representatives of Ukraine's leadership. The editors of "Strana.ua" request that the President Petro Poroshenko and the head of the SSU Vasily Gritsak to stop provocations against Strana.ua and call the authorities to build relations with the media based on a civilized dialogue. Editor-in-chief of the internet-newspaper "Strana.ua" Igor Guzhva says that the newsroom is ready to work in any situation, regardless of the degree of pressure.
"All attempts to intimidate the editor’s office and myself with hastily fabricated criminal cases are worthless, – says Igor Guzhva. – We won't stop our work and will not change our position as an independent and objective media. The "maski-shows" (raids by the secret service) and arrests that are planned won't give authorities nothing, except an international shame and discredit of Ukraine".
Strana.ua will continue to inform public about all the actions that the authorities take against our editors office, as well as about organizers and perpetrators of these provocations.
The internet-newspaper "Strana.ua" is an independent Ukrainian media. It started work on 16 February 2016, and in less than a year ranked in the Top-10 Ukrainian internet-media. Igor Guzhva is the editor-in-chief and the owner of Strana.ua.
