20 July 2016
A prominent journalist (click here) working for a Ukrainian online investigative newspaper has been killed by a car bomb in central Kiev.
Pavel Sheremet, who wrote for Ukrayinska Pravda, was driving to work in the car of the newspaper’s owner on Wednesday morning when it was blown up, an adviser to the interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, said.
Two witnesses said they had heard a loud blast and saw an explosion from underneath the car, which lay charred in the middle of the street....
We are shocked and saddened at the news of the death of prominent journalist Pavel Sheremet,who was killed in an unprecedented car explosion in Kyiv this morning.
Pavel led a life of purpose and integrity in multiple countries. We respect him as a fearless practitioner and supporter of freedom of speech, the Revolution of Dignity, and a brighter future for Ukraine.
We welcome the statements by the police and prosecutor general that the circumstances surrounding his murder will be fully investigated and any perpetrators brought to justice. We extend our sympathies to his partner Olena Prytula, his family, his colleagues at Ukrainska Pravda, and his many friends and defenders of freedom of media and speech in Ukraine.The article below explains the detention of Pavel Sheremet, but, the filming was to prove the ease in which smugglers crossed the border between Lithuania and Belarus.
In the film Pavel Sheremet walked from one side of the border to the other without anyone stopping him. He was charged with illegal border crossing and conspiracy.
JOURNALISTS DETAINED BY BELARUSIAN BORDER GUARD (click here)
Belarusian border guards on 22 July detained a Belarusian camera team working for Russia's ORT television network. The journalists were detained on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, Interfax reported. The crew included ORT's Minsk bureau chief Pavel Sheremet, a cameraman, and a driver. They were detained while shooting footage on the activities of Belarus border guards. A spokesperson for the Belarusian State Border Committee said Sheremet had applied for permission to shoot footage on the border and was given approval for this fall. He had decided, however, to film now without permission. A report has been filed stating that the journalists violated laws on protecting the border area. The men have since been released and have returned to Minsk. Sheremet was recently stripped of his accreditation for Belarus.
