The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces attempts to block journalists from voting session

Location: Ukraine, Yuzhnoukrainsk
Date: September 5, 2023

Local city council member tries to prevent journalist Olena Kozubovsk and NikVesti crew from attending council session. Police disagrees and allows journalists to cover the event. The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the police’s decision but urges all public and elected officials to respect journalists’ right to report on meetings of public interest.

“The organizers emphasized that the session was off-limits and that we had no right to be there,” explains reporter Olena Kozubovska after a councilor from the banned pro-Russian Opposition Platform — For Life party prevented her from attending a meeting.

“They started threatening to call the police and attempted to prevent us from entering the hall where the meeting was taking place.”

On 5 September 2023, city council members in Yuzhnoukrainsk, a town in southern Ukraine, were gathering for a meeting to re-elect the city council secretary and acting mayor.

Kozubovska and Serhiy Ovcharyshyn from local online media outlet NikVesti were obstructed by council member Anzhela Savastru, who demanded they leave the room where the session was taking place. 

Savastru argued that the journalists "lacked proper credentials," claiming the session was closed to the public. She said she had personally rented the room, demanding payment from the journalists if they wanted to stay.

Next, Savastru called the police, requesting the journalists be kept away from the hall. Despite Savastru's efforts, when police arrived they refused to remove the journalists. NikVesti's reporters were able to cover the council session. 

Savastru declined to file a complaint about the journalists to the police. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism commends the police for ensuring Olena Kozubovska and her colleague were allowed to report from the council meeting. Local elections of new council members are in the public interest and should not be held behind closed doors. The NikVesti reporters were right to stand their ground and demand entry. We implore all local officials and councilors in Ukraine to adhere to the law and respect the press’ right to report.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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