Cherkasy-based news outlet 18000 reports pressure over their investigation about a judge

Illustration by 18000

Journalist Iryna Maliukova of the Cherkasy-based media outlet 18000 Iryna Malyukova was summoned for questioning by the police over an investigation that was released on the news outlet’s YouTube channel a year ago. The 18000 team reported the pressure on their website.

On July 9, a letter from the Cherkasy Oblast National Police HQ arrived in the media outlet’s email inbox. In it, investigator Olha Dadyak demanded the team provide documents related to the work of the journalist Iryna Maliukova. She was later summoned for questioning on July 15.

The query and the summoning occurred as part of the proceedings concerning the investigation “Inheriting a 11 million apartment and a private berth: Cherkasy officials' larges expenses”, which 18000 published over a year ago, on April 15, 2024. In it, the journalist analyzed the declarations of Cherkasy officials, including the Prydniprovskyi District Court judge Vladyslav Konstantin. The video said that the judge’s family completed the construction of a 297-square-meter house near Cherkasy in 2022 and registered it as property of the judge’s wife, whose income is too low to build a house of this size.

After the video was released, the judge filed a complaint with the police. Law enforcers opened proceedings under Part 1 of Article 376 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (“Any interference with activity of a judge for the purpose of preventing him form performance of his official duties or obtaining an unlawful judgment”).

“In our work, the team is guided by the laws of Ukraine and professional journalism standards. We regard the opening of the proceedings as persecution and pressure targeting the media outlet and our journalist Iryna Maliukova. The purpose of such actions is to hinder the work of journalists and create problems for the editorial team,” 18000 notes in their statement.

The editorial office is working with specialized lawyers from the Institute for Regional Press Development to defend themselves.