You're reading: Police spark fresh media freedom fears in demanding Internet news sites reveal server information

Law enforcers demanded that two of the country’s leading Internet news websites, Ukrainska Pravda and Korrespondent.net, reveal information from their servers, raising concerns among journalists and experts of increased pressure from the authorities on the country’s already-embattled media.

Police opened a criminal investigation on June 25 after pro-presidential lawmaker Inna Bohoslovska submitted a complaint about threats to her life that allegedly appeared in reader comments on the websites.

Bohoslovska is an outspoken critic of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko who often accuses her rival of treason in gas deals she made while prime minister in 2009.

She heads a provisional parliamentary investigative commission into the deal with Russia, for which Tymoshenko is currently on trial for abuse of power.

According to Bohoslovska, threats against her were published online on many websites in the comments section under articles where readers can offer their views.

One of the comments allegedly contained the suggestion to “soak [Bohoslovska] in gasoline and set [her] on fire”.

Journalists said both Bohoslovska and police are overreacting.

“Knowing the nature of Internet comments, we think that comments like that are rather an expression of emotions and not a real threat.

Unfortunately, the level of Internet comments, as the level of communication in politics, is far from perfect in Ukraine,” said Yulia McGuffie, editor of Korrespondent.net.

Investigators want to probe the Internet servers to top Ukrainian news portals to find out who left threatening comments about an ally of President Viktor Yanukovych, lawmaker Inna Bohoslovska (above).

Korrespondent.net is one of the country’s leading sources of news. Ukrainska Pravda is one of Ukraine’s top websites for investigative journalism.

Since President Viktor Yanukovych entered office in February 2010, journalists have reported increased pressure to toe the official line.

Serhiy Leshchenko, a leading journalist from Ukrainska Pravda who was questioned by prosecutors on June 30, said he is surprised the online comments were treated so seriously.

“There are many offensive comments online, including to my stories. Some comments contain threats to different people, including politicians.

But the police don’t open criminal investigations into all those cases and nobody really takes it so seriously,” he said.

Leshchenko said he is concerned police might use the case to justify the removal of Ukrainska Pravda’s servers, or get an inside glimpse into who is reading the site which regularly in its investigative reporting reveals corruption by top officials.

Vitaliy Moroz, an expert at media watchdog Internews Ukraine, noted that all recent server actions focused on Ukraine’s most critical and popular Internet media.

“It is hard to say how serious these actions are yet and how far will the police go. But the fact is that if media speak up about pressure it means they are under more pressure than usual,” he said.

Volodymyr Polishchuk, a spokesman for Kyiv’s Internal Affairs Ministry, said police have the right to remove servers in order to access information about people leaving comments.

“But I do not know if this will be considered necessary. Of course nobody wants a scandal,” he added.

Another news website that had criticized the current authorities – Donetsk-based Ostrov – said police are also accessing its server.

According to editor Serhiy Harmash, Ostrov`s provider confirmed they received a request from police regarding their servers.

Donetsk police refused to reveal details, but said the actions are being taken in connection with a criminal investigation.

“We don’t know anything about any criminal cases and we still have no idea what is being done to our servers,” Harmash said.

Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected].