23 April 2014
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Pro-Russian separatists from the city of Sloviansk in Eastern Ukraine announced on Tuesday, April 22, that they are holding an American journalist.
According to the Canadian media website Vice News, it is one of its reporters, Simon Ostrovsky. In a press conference, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared pro-Russia mayor of the city, did not give the name of the journalist detained, nor the reasons for his arrest.
Huffington Post reported that Douglas Herbert, international affairs editor at France 24, tweeted Tuesday that the mayor confirmed "Ostrovsky "is being held by separatists occupying building of Ukrainian security services."
Simon Ostrovsky, a former Moscow Times and BBC reporter, was arrested by armed men on Monday night with other journalists. He is the only one that has not been released since.
Mr Ostrovsky was covering the crisis in Ukraine for several weeks by editing first-person video dispatches called “Russian Roulette: The Invasion of Ukraine”. His equally good knowledge of Russian and English allowed him to interview troops and civilians when pro-Russia protesters stormed a police station in the city of Horlivka on April 14 and afterwards, when the Ukrainian army launched an anti-terrorist operation against pro-Russia militias these past days.
Last month, Ostrovsky was briefly detained at a Russian checkpoint by members of the Berkut, a disbanded Ukrainian police force.
He wrote a last post on Twitter on Monday while he was in the press conference of the separatist mayor. He noted that during the conference that, “Sloviansk pro-Russia 'mayor' threatens to throw journalist out for ‘provocative’ question about former mayor being held under guard.”
Vice News stated yesterday to be informed of the situation and being in contact with the U.S. State Department and all relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the journalist.
According to Newsweek, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović called today for the immediate release of the detained journalist. “I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing negative pattern in relation to journalists’ safety in Ukraine,” she said. “I call on all those responsible to stop harassing and attacking journalists and let them do their job. Simon Ostrovsky should be released immediately.”
*The last video report of the VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsk about the Anti-Terror' Operations in Eastern Ukraine (Youtube link) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNig07RtWxA
According to the Canadian media website Vice News, it is one of its reporters, Simon Ostrovsky. In a press conference, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared pro-Russia mayor of the city, did not give the name of the journalist detained, nor the reasons for his arrest.
Huffington Post reported that Douglas Herbert, international affairs editor at France 24, tweeted Tuesday that the mayor confirmed "Ostrovsky "is being held by separatists occupying building of Ukrainian security services."
Simon Ostrovsky, a former Moscow Times and BBC reporter, was arrested by armed men on Monday night with other journalists. He is the only one that has not been released since.
Mr Ostrovsky was covering the crisis in Ukraine for several weeks by editing first-person video dispatches called “Russian Roulette: The Invasion of Ukraine”. His equally good knowledge of Russian and English allowed him to interview troops and civilians when pro-Russia protesters stormed a police station in the city of Horlivka on April 14 and afterwards, when the Ukrainian army launched an anti-terrorist operation against pro-Russia militias these past days.
Last month, Ostrovsky was briefly detained at a Russian checkpoint by members of the Berkut, a disbanded Ukrainian police force.
He wrote a last post on Twitter on Monday while he was in the press conference of the separatist mayor. He noted that during the conference that, “Sloviansk pro-Russia 'mayor' threatens to throw journalist out for ‘provocative’ question about former mayor being held under guard.”
Vice News stated yesterday to be informed of the situation and being in contact with the U.S. State Department and all relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the journalist.
According to Newsweek, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović called today for the immediate release of the detained journalist. “I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing negative pattern in relation to journalists’ safety in Ukraine,” she said. “I call on all those responsible to stop harassing and attacking journalists and let them do their job. Simon Ostrovsky should be released immediately.”
*The last video report of the VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsk about the Anti-Terror' Operations in Eastern Ukraine (Youtube link) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNig07RtWxA
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