Colleagues said Thursday that a beheaded body found in a forest was that of Georgy Gongadze, but police said it was too early to say for sure
hat of a missing opposition journalist who had criticized Ukraine’s government, but police said it was too early to say for sure.
The journalist, 31-year-old Georgy Gongadze, went missing two months ago in Kyiv on his way home from work. He edited the Internet newsletter Ukrainska Pravda and had a program on the independent Radio Kontinent.
Journalists and legislators said the most likely reason behind his disappearance was a politically motivated attack, and say it highlights threats to media freedom in Ukraine. Gongadze was an outspoken critic of the government and of alleged corruption among high-ranking officials. He had complained to prosecutors about persecution by police.
Ukrainska Pravda editor Olena Prytula said a group of journalists inspected a body found in a forest in the Bila Tserkva region Nov. 3. The body was badly disfigured by some chemical components.
Police experts described a bracelet, a ring and other items found on the body that corresponded to those usually worn by Gongadze, she said.
The journalists wanted to bring the body to Kyiv, but it was taken away, she said. «I cannot explain why Heorhiy’s body, found on Nov. 3, has been concealed from his relatives and friends,» she said.
Deputy Interior Minister Mykola Dzhiga said experts who initially examined the body could not identify it as that of Gongadze. Coroners will have the results of a more comprehensive examination in at least a week, he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Before that happens, «nobody can say for sure that this is Gongadze’s body. It can only be one of the versions,» Dzhiga said.
Journalists have held repeated protests since Gongadze’s disappearance, claiming the case highlights the dangers faced by Ukrainian media personnel. Parliament has formed a commission to look into the case.
Opposition media in Ukraine have complained of harassment by the authorities, who are accused of using tax penalties and court fines to silence critics. The government says its opponents claim harassment in order to account for their own professional and financial mistakes.
