Ukrainian journalist fleds home amid threats

Katerina Sergatskova, chief editor of independent news site ‘Zaborona’, had her private information published online upon publishing some of her investigative stories. Death threats, violent comments, and accusation of being ‘an agent of the Kremlin’ followed. The media reports, it all started when a local journalist Roman Skrypin, with over 130 000 followers on Facebook, posted a photo of Sergatskova and her son, including her son’s name. Facebook commentators wrote her home address publicly, including many physical, sexual threats. Although some of the posts were later deleted, the photo with her son was not.. As an independent journalist, she wrote about alleged links between right-wing activists in Ukraine and Ukrainian media outlets, including one local fact-checking organisation. Sergatskova, together with her husband and two children, left their home in Kyiv. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called Ukrainian authorities to investigate the threats and ensure her safety. Sergatskova told CPJ that upon filing a complaint, the police refused to open an investigation. Her lawyer then filed a complaint to the Ministry of Interior in Kyiv.