The bodyguards of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych stopped two journalists – Ukrainska Pravda Editor-in-Chief Olena Prytula and Kyiv Post Deputy Editor-in-Chief Katya Gorchinskaya - from participating in a protest while the Ukrainian president was delivering a speech at the World Newspaper Congress in Kyiv on Monday, according to the Ukrainska Pravda online publication.
It can be seen on a video posted on the newspaper’s Web site that a
man tried to take away a poster reading “Stop Censorship!” from Gorchinskaya, who was trying to raise it over her head during the
president’s speech. However, the journalist managed to pass the poster
to Prytula. Later on, the security took away the poster from the second
journalist by force.
While the president was delivering the speech, ten people, some of
whom wore T-shirts reading “Stop censorship,” stood up with posters
reading in Ukrainian and English “The authorities want to arrest
defamation,” “The authorities are tapping journalists’ phones,” “Voters
are being isolated from criticism against the authorities,” “Media
oligarchs are serving the authorities.”
Some of the protesters chanted “Stop censorship!”
