Shame on SSU’s "work" against journalists, - Justice Minister Maliuska
Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska said he was ashamed of the SSU’s "work" against BIHUS.Info journalists.
The official wrote about this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
"I watched the BIHUS.Info story. I'm proud of the quality of the journalists' investigation and ashamed of the "work" of the special service.
Given the attention of the international media to Ukraine, I think we have no more than a day to show the right reaction and deliver the right messages," the minister said.
Maliuska believes that a prompt response and communication from all branches of government is needed to the situation with the surveillance of journalists by representatives of the special services.
"According to the Law on the SSU, the Verkhovna Rada, the President and the Prosecutor's Office control the special service. The President took the first step earlier, dismissing the head of the department," the post reads.
The Minister of Justice is also in favour of increasing control over the actions of the special services inside the country.
"In their work abroad (in Russia, in particular) and at the front, they are handsome, everything is fine there and you shouldn't touch them," he added.
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As a reminder, on 16 January, a video was posted online showing Bihus.Info employees allegedly using drugs at a New Year's corporate party. The founder of the project, Denys Bihus, noted that the video showed part of the team, namely the cameramen. According to him, the journalists did not use drugs.
"The team is aware of the gravity of the situation. Of course, the wiretapping and surveillance were illegal, and the goals of those who recorded are clear. However, this is no excuse for what we saw on the video - namely, the use of illegal substances by several of our colleagues," the team said.
Later, Bihus said that the Bihus.Info team members had been under surveillance for about a year. And the New Year's corporate party was part of an operation by the security forces.
The SSU initiated proceedings over the illegal wiretapping and filming. It also seized discs with camera recordings.
Recently, Bihus.Info journalists asked for help in identifying the persons allegedly involved in the surveillance of the investigative team.
In a new video by the project, Denys Bihus said that the SSU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood was involved in the surveillance of Bihus.Info.
The SSU press service claimed that some Bihus.Info employees were involved in the distribution of drugs.
