In government-controlled areas, media outlets perceived as espousing pro-Russian or pro-separatist views, and
those particularly critical of the authorities, face harassment, threats of closure, and even physical violence.
For example, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has repeatedly called for the closure of the TV channel Inter,
accusing it of pro-Russian coverage. On 4 September, around 15 masked men attempted to forcibly enter
Inter’s premises, and then threw Molotov cocktails at the building.
Journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed by a car bomb in Kyiv, on 20 July 2016. No perpetrators have been
identified. The investigation into the killing of another journalist, Oles Buzina, shot dead by two masked
gunmen in 2015, has also failed to yield any results.
The lawyer Yuryi Grabovski went missing on 6 March and was found murdered on 25 March 2016. Before his
disappearance, Grabovski complained of intimidation and harassment by Ukrainian authorities pressuring him
withdraw from the case involving two alleged Russian servicemen captured in eastern Ukraine. Two suspects
went on trial at the end of 2016, but the judge ruled that the hearing should be closed.
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