Virtual museum of Russian aggression.

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Chronicles of the seizure

On 02/27/2014, the Verkhovna Rada of the ARC gathered for an extraordinary session and voted in favor of holding the so-called referendum on the status of the autonomy. Notably, no journalists were admitted into the session hall.

On the day after, in the afternoon of 02/28/2014, armed men in military uniform without insignia blocked the building of the State TV and Radio Broadcasting Company Crimea (STRC Crimea), as well as the Radio and Television Broadcasting Center of the ARC.

 

Text broadcast from the scene was carried out by the journalists of the Argumenty Nedeli - Crimea news company.  

 Stepan Gulevaty, General Director of the STRC, informed the Center for Investigative Reporting in Simferopol that about 20 Russian military men "secured the perimeter" around the TV and radio company:

"They stand outside the gates of the STRC, they do not enter the territory. They say they have orders to secure the perimeter. Armed men in military uniforms without insignia, claiming they are from the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation."

By the building of the STRC Crimea, journalists recorded on video people in Russian military uniforms and employees of the state security service (police) who did not stop the invaders. The journalists were threatened, but the police did not react to this.

"I can confirm that the territory of the STRC is controlled by armed people. They introduced themselves as the military personnel of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Now we have noticed one Ural truck with armed men. The truck is under our editorial office window."

Shevket Ganiev, a correspondent of the Crimean Tatar edition of the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company "Crimea” confirmed this information

No right to information

It became increasingly dangerous for Ukrainian and foreign journalists to continue video and photo coverage of the capture of state institutions and strategic facilities. The occupiers prohibited to record their illegal actions, and the law enforcement agencies made no attempt of countering the invaders.

 
The international community was reacting critically to the situation. However, on 03/05/2014, the so-called "self-defense groups" blocked the Ukraina hotel where Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media, was meeting with editors of the Crimean media and public activists. Later, Dunja Mijatović was taken by force to Simferopol airport.

On 06/03/2014, immediately after the press conference held by the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Autonomous Republic of Crimea Rustam Temirgaliev in the press center set up at the STRC Crimea, the building of the state broadcasting company was surrounded by representatives of the so-called "Crimean self-defense."

The invaders took down the Ukrainian state flag from the building of the STRC.

At the same time, the armed men seized the Simferopol Radio and Television Transmitting Station (RTPS), switched off the Ukrainian television channels and switched on the Russia 24 channel. This was reported on the official website of the Broadcasting, Radio Communication and Television Concern (BRT) - the state-owned operator of TV and radio broadcasting, radio relay and satellite communications of Ukraine.

CRRT states that such actions are a gross violation of international norms and laws of Ukraine "On Television and Radio Broadcasting" (Articles 2; 6; 7; 20; 23,) "On Radio Frequency Resource", "On Telecommunications" and others.

The occupiers are preventing independent media from covering the capture of the state-run broadcaster.

On March 8, 2014, the Russian invaders did not allow the correspondents of the Crimean Tatar TV channel "ATP" Osman Pashayev and Emine Dzheppar, who came to film a report on the events around the TV and radio company, to the editorial office of DTRK "Crimea".

Osman Pashayev claims that the leadership of the State Television and Radio Company conspired with the occupation authorities and Crimean police officers.


In just one day on March 10, 2014, the Crimean TV channel is filled with 32 federal Russian TV channels. Thus, in two weeks, the occupiers will replace the Ukrainian air in Crimea with the Russian one and establish full control over the rest of the local media.

Oksana Romanyuk, a representative of the international journalistic organization Reporters Without Borders, said during a briefing on March 12, 2014 that 90% of Ukrainian media outlets were blocked in Crimea. Law enforcement agencies and human rights activists are unprepared for such a situation. Many Crimeans are dissatisfied with the shutdown of Ukrainian TV channels.

At the same time, the armed men seized the Simferopol Radio and Television Transmitting Station (RTPS), switched off the Ukrainian television channels and switched on the Russia 24 channel. This was reported on the official website of the Broadcasting, Radio Communication and Television Concern (BRT) - the state-owned operator of TV and radio broadcasting, radio relay and satellite communications of Ukraine.

Press release on the website of the Concern of radio communication, radio communication and television communication (KRRT), 03/06/2014.

P. S.

Since the beginning of the occupation and seizure of the media space, Russia would quickly enforce a regime of censorship and total control over information in Crimea. The ousting of independent and Ukrainian information media would be repeatedly recorded by international organizations and human rights activists. According to Freedom House, in the first year of the occupation, the number of media resources in Crimea would effectively decrease by more than 90%. The level of freedom of speech in Crimea in 2014 would become one of the worst in the world.

Starting from March 2014, Russian media would be using the Ukrainian television and radio frequencies in Crimea illegally. While promoting the pro-Russian content, the invaders would fill the air with hate speech, spread the aggressive Russian propaganda and influence the public opinion by applying outright psycholinguistic and other means of manipulation. The absence of the Ukrainian signal would exacerbate the situation and make it impossible to receive information from the Ukrainian media through television and radio.

 

The State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine would declare that cutting of the Ukrainian TV broadcasting channels in Crimea grossly violates the rights of Crimeans to information – a fundamental human right that is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine, as well as by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

 

Seizure of the Ukrainian television and radio frequencies on the territory of Ukraine and jamming of radio signal is contrary to Article 35 of the ITU Constitution and Convention. Such actions also violate a number of obligations of the OSCE member states.

 

Curtailment of freedom of speech would continue all over the occupied peninsula. Using so-called "countering of the extremist activity" clauses of the Russian law, the invaders would issue criminal indictments for the alleged "incitement of separatism", widely use administrative prosecution, arbitrary detentions, physical attacks, threats – the whole range of tools to eliminate the independent media and block the alternative sources of information.

Document

UN thematic report

Read more..

Published on 2021-09-01

Olena Lysenko

The Crimean Human Rights Group

Sources

Закон України Про телебачення і радіомовлення, Документ 3759-XII, Верховна Рада України: Закон Про радіочастотний ресурс України, Документ 1770-III, Верховна Рада України: Указ Президента України №117/2021 Про рішення Ради національної безпеки і оборони України від 11 березня 2021 року «Про Стратегію деокупації та реінтеграції тимчасово окупованої території Автономної Республіки Крим та міста Севастополя», Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України: Конвенція про захист прав людини і основоположних свобод, Верховна Рада України. Документ 995_004 Міжнародна конвенція електрозв'язку, Документ 995_001, Верховна Рада України Заява Держкомтелерадіо України: вимкнення з ефіру Криму українських телеканалів порушує права кримчан, 11.03.2014, Держа́вний коміте́т телеба́чення і радіомо́влення Украї́ни Наказ Держкомтелерадіо від 06.10.2015 № 302 "Про реорганізацію державної телерадіомовної компанії «Крим», Державний комітет телебачення і радіомовлення України Офіційне повідомлення «Держкомтелерадіо звільнив керівників ДТРК «Крим» та Севастопольської РДТРК», 11.03.2014, Державний комітет телебачення і радіомовлення України Концерн радіомовлення, радіозв'язку та телебачення Державна служба спеціального зв’язку та захисту інформації України, «Пресреліз про надзвичайно загрозливу ситуацію, яка склалася на території АР Крим стосовно захоплення РТПЦ Крим Концерну РРТ», 06.03.2014: Доповідь «Свобода преси 2015», Міжнародна неурядова організація Freedom House: Доповідь «Хронологія утиски свободи слова в Криму», 03.2014 – 09.2019, ГО ГО Кримська правозахисна група Інформаційно-аналітична доповідь про переслідування журналістів і блогерів на території Кримського півострова «Крим: свобода слова в окупації», 11.02.2020, ГО Кримська правозахисна група ГТРК «Крым» под контролем российских военных 28.02.2014, Центр Журналістських розслідувань Уніан, Репортеры без границ: в Крыму заблокированы 90% украинских СМИ, 12.03.2014 ДТРК «Крим», Пресс-конференция Рустама Темиргалиева, ГТРК Крым, 06.03.2014
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