SBU seizes hard drives with camera footage in complex where Bihus.Info journalists were secretly filmed
Kyiv • UNN
The Security Service of Ukraine conducted a search of the complex where the Bihus.Info team members were allegedly being illegally surveilled, seizing hard drives and video recordings. The investigation is part of a criminal investigation into the illegal use of secret surveillance data.
Representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine searched the suburban complex where the Bihus.Info team members were illegally filming. They seized hard drives with CCTV footage. This was reported by Bihus.Info journalists, UNN reports.
When the journalists arrived at the scene, the investigative actions with the video media had already been completed, and the hard drives and the recorder had been seized. In a comment, the SBU representative said that he could not provide copies, because, according to him, the hard drives "have already been seized and packed in a safe package." At the same time, he advised the journalists to apply to the SBU for copies the next day.
The search took place within the framework of criminal proceedings opened under Article 359 of the Criminal Code (illegal acquisition, sale or use of special technical means of obtaining information) over the publication of covert filming and telephone tapping of Bihus.Info team members. Representatives of the Bihus.Info team are not victims in the case, the SBU opened the proceedings on its own initiative. Representatives of the editorial office filed applications to the National Police to open criminal proceedings under other articles, but the National Police has not yet registered its proceedings.
The day before, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, had asked the SBU to check the facts of surveillance of journalists.
Context
The Narodna Pravda YouTube channel spread a video of journalists of Bihus.Info allegedly using banned substances.
The founder of the project, Denys Bihus, responded to the video and assured that such actions would result in tough personnel changes, and that everyone who works with Bihus.Info would be tested for drug use.
He also said that members of the Bihus.Info team had been under surveillance for about a year: fragments of the wiretapping were edited from several episodes, months apart.
