Journalist Tkach was released after being detained in Austria: his colleague was wounded (updated)
Mykhailo Tkach, a journalist with "Ukrainska Pravda", who was detained in Vienna on 8 October whilst carrying out an editorial assignment, has been released.
This was announced by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, according to Censor.NET, citing Channel 24.
Details
Tykhyi noted that Ukrainian diplomats and consuls had been working with their Austrian counterparts to resolve the situation.
"We are grateful to the Austrian diplomats for their appropriate response," the Foreign Ministry said. An investigation into the full circumstances of the detention is currently underway.
Furthermore, in addition to Mykhailo Tkach, cameraman Yaroslav Bandarenko was also detained in Vienna – consular officials are checking whether he has been released as well.
UP Editor-in-Chief Sevgil Musaeva said that Tkach was released after more than 12 hours in custody in Vienna.
"However, his communication devices have not yet been returned, so the editorial staff is currently unable to contact him directly. Our colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko was injured during his detention and was hospitalized. It wasn’t until late at night that the police began questioning him," she noted.
At this time, the publication is unaware of the legal status of both journalists.
"The charges brought against our colleagues during their detention are unlike anything the editorial office has dealt with before and raise serious questions.
We expect the Austrian law enforcement authorities to provide explanations regarding the circumstances of our colleagues’ detention, Yaroslav’s injury, and the reasons for their prolonged detention. We also expect clarification of their legal status and the return of their communication devices.
Mykhailo has been detained before while carrying out journalistic assignments in various countries. However, in previous instances, after the circumstances were clarified, our colleagues were released within an hour or an hour and a half.
This is the first time they have been detained for more than 12 hours. The length of the detention, the nature of the charges brought against our colleagues, Yaroslav’s injury, and the lack of direct contact with Mykhailo are causing us great concern," she added.
The detention of Mykhailo Tkach in Austria
- On 8 October, Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigative journalism department at ‘Ukrainska Pravda’, was detained in Vienna whilst carrying out an editorial assignment related to the search for the fugitive former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
- The editorial team considers the detention unlawful and demands the journalist’s immediate release and an official explanation of the actions taken by the Austrian law enforcement authorities. The fate of Tkach’s colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko, who was travelling with him, was unknown at the time of the editorial team’s statement.
- Earlier, "Ukrainska Pravda" published Tkach’s investigation into the whereabouts of former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko in Vienna, where, according to the publication, he and his wife had registered in the Austrian residence register.
