Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has instructed Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko to tackle the situation with the Express newspaper in Lviv.
Presidential Administration Deputy Head Hanna Herman announced this during a political talk show on the Inter television channel on Friday evening.
"The president has issued instructions for the Prosecutor General’s Office – Medvedko – to immediately tackle the case, so as to see no protraction with the investigation into the case on the pressure on journalists of the Express newspaper," she said.
Herman said she met with journalists of the newspaper on May 27. The journalists have given her an open letter and documents proving systematic pressure on the newspaper.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the State Tax Administration in Lviv region has decided to hold internal investigation into the incident with journalists of the Express newspaper in Lviv.
According to the tax gatherers, officers of the tax administration have several times summoned the leadership of the newspaper in the frames of the case opened upon profit tax dodging for Hr 2.6 million.
The heads of the newspaper ignored the summons and thus were forcefully brought to the administration.
When an accountant was brought to the building of the administration there occurred an incident between the editor-in-chief Ihor Pochynok and administration representatives accompanying him.
About 100 employees for the Express newspaper blocked traffic on Kyiv-Chop highway at 1:00 p.m., April 13, demanding to investigate into a policemen’s attack against newspaper reporters.
Two strangers who introduced themselves as policemen burst into the apartment of newspaper chief to convey him as witness to a case, newspaper reporters said. He refused to go as he was home alone with two small children. The policemen forced the chief to leave home and conveyed him to the State Tax Administration in Lviv region.
Newspaper correspondents also went there and were beaten by five policemen. The latter also broke a video camera.
