On Thursday, 18 October, the journalists of the Volhynian media and OPORA representatives weren't admitted to the premises of the academic building of the Lesia Ukrayinka Eastern European University while candidate for Deputy Ihor Palytisa was holding a meeting with students. In such way, staff of the university hindered journalists in performance of their professional activities.
On 18 October, at 3pm, in the assembly hall of the History Department of the Lesia Ukrainka Eastern European University (academic building No.4), the meeting of the People's Deputy and Head of the Supervisory Board of the university Ihor Palytsia with the students was held.
It would be OK but Ihor Palytsia is a candidate for Deputy in the electoral district 22, and every meeting of his with the voters is perceived as nothing but campaigning. Moreover, public observers have repeatedly recorded cases of abuse by the university staff in favour of the candidate — his campaigning posters were hung on the noticeboards in various academic buildings, and financial aids and stipends are paid to the students and staff on behalf of the candidate. In addition, the Rector of the University Ihor Kotsan and Head of the Students' Union of the university Yana Tsapuk are the candidate's agents.
So, OPORA observers decided to attend Palytsia's meeting with students to make sure there were no violations of the election law. Moreover, information about the meeting was public — the announcements placed in the university informed of the the fact that “everyone was invited” to the event.
A few minutes before the meeting, before 3pm, journalists of the Tochka OPORA tried to enter the building of the History Department but they were not allowed to there by security guareds of the department and two students who were checking IDs of visitors at the entrance. Once the journalists showed their documents, the security guards refused to let them into the the building without any explanation of the grounds of such actions.
By the way, when OPORA representatives said that they came for the meeting with Palutsia, the security guards were persuading them he wasn't in the building, and then stated that Palytsia was on the premises of the university but was holding a conference, and that they admitted only those whom he had invited.
Later, journalists of the local media — ZIK Informational Agency, online publications Volynski Novyny (Volhynian News) and Volynska Pravda (Volhynian Truth), Avers TRC— also tried to enter the university building. However, they shared the same fate — after the journalists presented their passes, security guards didn't let them in anyway, and locked the door instead. And the journalist of the Avers TRC who entered the academic building earlier was forced to leave. Only people with ID of students or lecturers were admitted to the university.
Since actions of the university security guards were illegal the journalists of Tochka OPORA called the police. However, the police couldn't do anything — the door still remained closed for the journalists. Only after the Investigative and Operations Group of the MIA, university staff opened the door. The security guards started stating that not to let journalists in was the instruction of management, and in particular of the Dean of the History Department Anatolii Shvab.
While the journalists were giving explanations to the police officers the Ihor Palytsia's meeting with students was over. When the People's Deputy Ihor Palytsia and Rector of the University Ihor Kotsan were leaving the university the journalists asked them why journalists weren't allowed to the meeting. The People's Deputy replied that there was nothing interesting for journalists, and that he didn't conduct any campaigning. However, Rector of the University Kotsan stated that students asked to hold the event without the media. “Press wasn't invited,” he said.
However, according to the journalists of the Chetverta Vlada (The Fourth Power) Information Agency who managed to get to the meeting, Palytsia and Kotsan lied.
Indeed, though most of the Ihor Palytsia's meeting with students was devoted to the matters of student life, it didn't do without campaigning. When answering the questions, the politician introduced himself as a candidate for Deputy in the FPP district. Then, he started campaigning for oppositional political parties UDAR and Svoboda though had recently voted in unison with the Party of Regions.
Also, according to journalists of Rivne and Volhynian Agency of Investigative Journalism Chetverta Vlada the whole university event was recorded by a cameraman of Avers TRC. And news about this event has appeared in the online publication Pid Prytsilom (In the Cross Hairs). So certain journalists were invited.
Another important fact — on the premises of the History Department, a precinct election commission is situated that was also inaccessible.
It is worth mentioning that before this incident on 18 October, all Ihor Palytsia's meetings were open. Also, admission on the premises of the History Department was free, and every student wasn't checked for his student ID.
Representatives of the Civil Network OPORA consider actions of the university staff on hindering journalists in performance of their professional activities a violation of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As video and audio recordings show, such instruction came from the university management.
Moreover, there is a violation of the election law since the working meeting of the Head of the Supervisory Board of Lesia Ukrainka Eastern European National University with the students was held for campaigning, which is a violation of Article 21 of the Law On Elections of People's Deputies, in which “candidates for Deputy are prohibited to use for electoral campaigning... operations meetings, staff meetings...”
Therefore, public observers believe that law enforcement agencies should evaluate the actions of the candidate and representatives of the University, and objectively and comprehensively examine the above facts.
Reference:
Civic monitoring conducted by OPORA - is a type of network activity, aimed at impartial assessment of the preparation and conduct of elections, as well as preventing violations through comprehensive civic action. Professional monitoring at all stages of the election process indirectly influences the quality of the campaign. The public opinion, both foreign and domestic is formed through gathering and spreading of information among the target audience.
From a strategic perspective public monitoring of elections focuses upon improving the system and certain procedures.
In 2012, during Parliamentary elections in Ukraine OPORA is carrying out a large-scale campaign of long- and short term observation, organizing a statistical vote-count by the results of voting with the proportional component of the electoral system on a basis of representative selection, will provide 100% coverage of polling stations by observers in separate single-mandate majoritarian districts. OPORA observers will work in all 225 electoral districts, and 3,500 activists will join them on the voting day. Organization will use the latest means of spreading information on observation results, including infographics and interactive maps.