Zelenskyy on Bіhus.Info surveillance: Any pressure on journalists is unacceptable

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he held a meeting with law enforcement officials, including Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), to discuss the surveillance of investigative journalists working for the Bihus.Info project which was reported yesterday.

Source: Zelenskyy's evening address

Quote: "Separately, I would like to address the situation with our journalists. In particular, an instance of the surveillance of journalists. The Security Service of Ukraine has launched an investigation and will find out all the circumstances. Any pressure on journalists is unacceptable."   

Details: The president also said he had received key reports on countering collaborators and destroying Russian logistics.

Background:

• On 16 January, a video was leaked online showing employees of the Bihus.Info investigative project apparently using drugs. The project's head, Denys Bihus, recorded a video message giving explanations and stated that everyone who works with Bihus.Info would take drug tests.  
• Later, Bihus said that after talking to the people involved in the video, it transpired that members of the Bihus.Info editorial team had been under surveillance for about a year, and that fragments of intercepted conversations had been edited together from several episodes that were months apart.
• The Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech has promised to formulate a request to the SSU to investigate who was involved in the surveillance of Bihus.Info journalists.
• On 17 January, the SSU stated that it would be investigating the circumstances of the illegal bugging and filming of Bihus.Info staff.

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