Attacker on journalists in Odesa region sentenced to detention in correctional center

The Chornomorsk City Court of Odesa Region sentenced one of the attackers on the editor of the publication "Alternative. ORG editor Roman Varshanidze and the publication's cameraman Andriy Boy to one year in a correctional center.

According to the court' s verdict, the attack took place in October 2020 during a meeting with voters of Yuriy Nikitinsky, a candidate from the currently banned Opposition Platform - For Life party, who was running for the post of Velykodolynske village head.

According to the Court Reporter, there were originally three defendants - a father and two sons. In 2023, the court dismissed the case against the father and one of the brothers, who were accused of obstructing journalistic activity under Article 171(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, due to the statute of limitations. The third defendant continued to be tried for violence against journalists. He refused to give any testimony.

The Judicial Power portal reported that the proceedings in question involved two victims, journalists, and three attackers, Valeriy and Mykola Butsenko, who were accused of violence against Roman Varshanidze, and Igor Kravchenko was accused of violence against Andriy Boyko.

At the trial, the victims said that they had come to film a meeting with the candidate, and when they were ready to work and went to the meeting place, they were approached by two strangers, and then another man. These people began to forbid the journalists to go to the meeting. The third stranger was particularly aggressive and punched the journalist in the face when he tried to protect the cameraman and the camera. Roman Varshanidze lost consciousness from the blow, and when he came to, the cameraman said that he had also been hit and the camera had been taken away. They called an ambulance, which took the journalist to the hospital, where he received medical care.

He had a hematoma on his face from the blow, and was examined at the hospital, but the forensic expert did not examine him. The camera was found some time later without a memory card. But the camera has two slots for a memory card. However, because the journalist managed to get the card out before he finished shooting, the video was not saved correctly.

However, there was another video surveillance camera on a pole near the scene, and its recording also became evidence in court.

The candidate himself, Yuriy Nikitinsky, said in court that they had announced the event on the Internet, but did not invite journalists. He assumed that one of the injured journalists was paid for provocations and came to compromise him. However, he said that the men who attacked the journalists were not his employees or bodyguards and he had not invited them either, but characterized them positively.

Кирило Бойко