Surveillance of Bihus.Info: The prosecutorʼs office is investigating the obstruction of journalistsʼ activities

The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office announced that it has started investigating obstruction of the professional activities of journalists (part 3 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code) in the case of surveillance of the editors of the Bihus.Info project.

Prosecutors are investigating the influence of officials using their official position on journalists. It is the third part of Article 171 of the Criminal Code that gives such a definition. It provides punishment in the form of restriction of freedom for a term of up to 5 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions.

Investigators are currently identifying those involved.

In this case, the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office is also leading the investigation of violations of privacy and the use of special means of obtaining information (Article 182, Article 359 of the Criminal Code).

• On January 16, 2024, the little-known resource "Narodna Pravda" published a video and material about how some employees of Bihus.Info use drugs at a corporate party in the country complex "Ukrainian Village" near Kyiv. The founder of the project, Denys Bigus, reacted the same day — he said that the video was not made by journalists, but by cameramen who were dismissed for it. And most importantly, the project team was illegally monitored for several months for almost a year.
• The journalists turned to the Security Service of Ukraine, the police and the prosecutorʼs office, and also conducted their own investigation, which came out on February 5. Investigators said that journalists were being monitored by the SBU Department for the Protection of the National State — more than 30 people participated in the operation. Already at that time, the dismissed head of the Department, Roman Semenchenko, did not deny the involvement of DZND in this operation in a telephone conversation. Journalists of Bihus.Info stated that the monitoring of them continued in recent days.
• The SBU responded to the investigation — a message from the head of the special service, Vasyl Malyuk, appeared on the website. It says it was an "operation against drug crime." The operator of Bihus.Info was accused of being "involved in the distribution of narcotic substances." But the publication of the video in the media is unacceptable, which is why the head of the DZND, Roman Semenchenko, was fired on January 31.
• The case of surveillance of Bihus.Info journalists was transferred to the SBI — this was explained by the fact that law enforcement officers may be involved in the surveillance of journalists.
• The editors of Bihus.Info are sure that the order of DZND to monitor the editorial office was given by the Presidentʼs Office, which did not comment on this situation in any way.