"Bihus.Info accused by SBU of surveillance of journalists, SBU denies the accusations
Kyiv • UNN
BIHUS Info investigative journalists documented how SBU officers spied on their team in a suburban complex with surveillance equipment and later confronted some of these officers outside the SBU building; the SBU denied targeting the journalists and claimed that they were investigating drug dealers linked to BIHUS Info employees.
Journalists of BIHUS Info showed the faces of those who followed their employees in the countryside complex. The investigators are convinced that they were being followed by SBU officers who are supposed to be protecting our statehood, not looking for compromising information about independent media, UNN reports.
Who poses the greatest threat to the nation's statehood in times of war? According to the SBU, it is obviously journalists. ... Yes, this whole shameful "special operation" involving more than 30 people was organized by the SBU department, whose task is to protect state sovereignty, territorial integrity and the constitutional order.
Details
Investigative journalists found out that the day before their training at the countryside complex, a company of SBU officers held their "corporate party" .
The journalists documented that the special forces booked houses with disposable SIM cards and entered the hotel in cars with license plates commonly used by undercover law enforcement officers. They also collected video from surveillance cameras, which shows how the law enforcement officers brought huge suitcases, probably with surveillance equipment.
During the inspection of the rooms, the journalists found holes in the furniture and walls of the hotel, where the special forces probably hid their surveillance devices.
Moreover, Bigus.Info journalists later met their "persecutors" near the SBU building.
Perhaps someone would have been able to hide in this story, but it is difficult to hide so many special services. So we soon met some of them near the SBU. And we asked them why they were spying on our team.
Bigus reminded that on January 31, the head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood, Roman Semenchenko, was fired from the SBU.
"We talked to Mr. Semenchenko, and in a telephone conversation he did not deny the involvement of the DZND in this operation," the journalists said.
Response of the SBU
The Security Service of Ukraine does not deny that its employees were spying on the BIHUS Info team. However, law enforcement officials insistthat they were not following journalists, but drug dealers.
According to the SBU's intelligence, some employees of Bihus.Info were unfortunately also among the clients of the dealers through whom drugs were supplied to other citizens. In particular, one of the operators, who was involved in criminal proceedings for the illegal production, manufacture, purchase, storage, transportation, shipment or sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues.
At the same time, the SBU stated that they are on the side of independent media, and "no actions of individuals can cast a shadow on any of the editorial offices and the media in general.
Consequently, they made "appropriate personnel decisions" regarding the Department for the Protection of National Statehood and optimized the direction of this unit's work, and initiated criminal proceedings under Article 359 on "Illegal acquisition, sale or use of special technical means of obtaining information.
We believe that independent media is an integral part of a modern democratic society, and no actions of individuals can cast a shadow on any of the editorial offices and the media in general, and all SBU employees must act exclusively to protect the national interests of the state and society and effectively counter the enemy.
Recall
The Narodna Pravda YouTube channel posted a video showing members of the Bihus.Info team allegedly using illegal substances.
The founder of the project, Denys Bihus, reacted to the video, saying that the cameramen were not journalists, but cameramen, and assured that such actions would result in tough personnel changes.
Subsequently, the SBU began to establish the circumstances of the illegal wiretapping and filming and searched the complex where the Bihus.Info team members were being surveilled , seizing hard drives and video recordings.
