Memorial event to honor journalist Heorhii Gongadze underway in downtown Kyiv

The journalists and public men observe a moment of silence in memory of journalist Heorhii Gongadze murdered in 2000.

A correspondent for Censor.NET reports from the scene.

On the 16th anniversary of Heorhii Gongadze's disappearance, the representatives of the Ukrainian media appealed to the president, the prime minister, the interior minister, and the prosecutor general with the demand to investigate cases of aggression against journalists in a consistent and honest manner.

The rallies to commemorate Heorhii Gongadze and all perished Ukrainian journalists are traditionally held in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities Sept. 16.

As previously reported, journalist Heorhii Gongadze was killed in the fall of 2000. On March 15, 2008, the Kyiv Appeals Court declared three former officers of the Interior Ministry External Surveillance Department Valerii Kostenko, Mykola Protasov, and Oleksandr Popovych guilty of the murder. They were sentenced to 12 to 13 years in prison.

In January 2013, the court also sentenced former head of the External Surveillance Department Oleksii Pukach to life imprisonment for the murder of the journalist. Meanwhile, Gongadze's family still believes that real contractors remain at large.