The Schemes investigative journalism program said on Oct. 5 that their journalists were assaulted while conducting their work at Ukreximbank, a major state-owned company.
The bank’s representatives deny any wrongdoing and accuse the journalists of violating banking privacy.
The incident occurred on Oct. 4 as journalist Kirill Ovsyaniy and videographer Oleksandr Mazur were recording an interview with the bank’s board chairperson Yevhen Metzher at its Kyiv headquarters.
The police have started a criminal investigation into obstruction of journalistic activity.
Schemes is a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty project that airs on two TV channels in Ukraine and publishes its investigations online.
The program’s head Natalie Sedletska wrote on Facebook on Oct. 5 that the journalists had been assigned to pose a question to Metzher so that his position could be presented in an investigation that is being prepared for forthcoming episodes.
“However, Metzher didn’t like the question. So, he called for security and ordered that the cameras be taken away and data drives retrieved,” Sedletska wrote.
The bank’s security guards “applied force” against videographer Mazur and seized two cameras and their memory cards and took the equipment out of the room “for an hour,” according to Sedletska.
Schemes said that their journalists were kept locked up in the bank head’s office.
“The bank employees w uttered threats and prevented the journalists from filming what was happening on their smartphones, searched the videographer’s clothing for other recording devices, and applied pressure in every way,” Schemes said. “They prevented (the journalists) from leaving the scene.”
After an hour, the equipment was brought back to the journalists, but with the recordings deleted from the memory cards.
Schemes also provided an audio recording reportedly made by journalist Ovsyaniy during his confrontation with the bank’s chairperson Metzher and security operators.
Ukrteximbank, a 100% state-owned entity, is considered one of the country’s three most important banks, along with Oschadbank and PrivatBank.
Oct. 4, Schemes filed a complaint to the police on what they view as the bank’s obstruction of media activities. The Kyiv police department has launched a criminal investigation of the alleged obstruction of media. Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office says it has taken the case under its control.
On Oct. 5, the bank’s press service issued a statement accusing the interviewers of posing questions on bank client information considered confidential.
According to it, the journalists also voiced “groundless assumptions regarding alleged violations committed by the bank.”
“Given this, the bank’s press service decided to terminate the interview,” the bank said.
Ukreximbank added that it is contemplating addressing law enforcement agencies and the country’s media regulators regarding the incident.
