Ukraine: Local Politician Assaults Reporter Nataliya Myedvyedyeva – CFWIJ Condemns The Attack
Location: Ukraine, Chernihiv
Date: March 30, 2023
Serhiy Berestoviy, former city council candidate of Chernihiv, breaks camera of local TV crew. Berestoviy’s behavior towards journalists is unacceptable. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attack and calls on authorities to take appropriate action.
On March 30, Serhiy Berestoviy assaulted journalist Natalia Myedvyedyeva and her camera operator while filming for local TV channel Dytynets in Chernihiv. Berestoviy destroyed their camera. The journalists were unharmed.
In footage from the scene Berestoviy is heard threatening Myedvyedyeva and her camera person.
"I'm asking, why are you filming me?" says Berestoviy. "You want me to break your camera? Throw away your camera! I'm a private individual. Why are you filming me?"
Broken camera of Dytynets TV crew. CREDIT: Suspline
According to IMI, a Ukrainian press freedom group, police in Chernihiv opened a criminal case following the incident for impeding the legal work of a journalist.
The assault took place at a restaurant in Chernihiv. Myedvyedyeva intended to question city council member Yuri Tarasovets for missing a council session. Tarasovets was at the restaurant with Berestoviy.
Myedvyedyeva says they didn't immediately recognize who attacked them after Tarasovets fled.
"Yuri started running away from us, and his companion or friend, I don't know who was sitting, started hitting our camera and broke it. But he looked a lot like Serhiy Berestovoy, ” she says.
Serhiy Berestoviy is a businessman and former city council candidate for President Zelensky’s political party, Servant of the People, in Chernihiv.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism commends police for swiftly opening a criminal investigation into the incident and calls for a prompt conclusion. Journalists should not be attacked while doing their job.
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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.