On Tuesday 9 May,2023 journalist Tetyana Tsyrulnik ( Тетяна Цирульник) was assaulted while covering Victory Day commemorations (меморіалі Солдатської Слави) in the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
Tsyrulnik, who is the Editor-in-Chief of local news website Kolo.news (Коло), was pushed and slapped by a man who objected to her taking photographs.
She reported the incident to police and received a medical examination for minor injuries to her face. Ukrainian authorities have opened a criminal case for “threats or violence against a journalist” and the perpetrator has been identified. In the video on “Свобода Слова” it can be seen that Tsyrulnik was taking a photo, and a man pounced on her with words “Чуєш, курво, йди звідси!, began to push her out, then hit her in the face . Video is visible on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=47&v=GeXP1OW23oc&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.imi.org.ua%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title
Subsequently, Tsyrulnik faced further harassment as other individuals at the event downplayed the severity of the attack and made derogatory comments. Some even went as far as to suggest that the incident was not significant.. Tsyrulnik also reported being chased by an unidentified man who demanded to know her last name. The police intervened and asked him to leave.
The incident underscores the hostile environment in which journalists work in Ukraine and the need for better protection of press freedom.
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