Published on 27 October 2003
27 August 2009 - Ukrainian experts say skull belongs to journalist murdered in 2000
10 August 2009 - Reporters Without Borders’ Letter to Ukraine Prosecutor General
23 July 2009 - Key development in Gongadze murder probe could open way to final resolution
Reporters Without Borders expressed alarm today at attempts by the Ukrainian secret police (SBU) to take control of Internet operations in the country and intercept e-mail messages.
"In a country where the media is already monitored closely, the Internet has now become a key target for the SBU," said secretary-general Robert Ménard. "Its bid to take over management of the national domain name ".ua", currently in the hands of the private firm Hostmaster, and its proposal that parliament legalise e-mail monitoring, will allow it to effectively gag online activity. We shall watch developments very closely."
Hostmaster sued the government on 22 July over the decision to take control of the ".ua" domain name. The authorities have asked ICANN, the US-based worldwide body in charge of assigning all country domain names, to approve the proposed switch but have had no response.
The state telecommunications commission asked telecom operators and Internet service providers (ISPs) on 17 July to install equipment to monitor all traffic they handled. The Ukrainian Internet Association objected strongly to this as an unacceptable breach of privacy for Internet users and noted that for the moment it was still illegal
The SBU asked parliament on 19 August to legalise recording and interception of phone and Internet messages, ostensibly to help fight crime and supposedly bring the law into line with European standards.
NB: A copy of the press release was sent to ICANN
He is the editor of Erk, the last opposition newspaper in Uzbekistan until it was banned by the authorities in 1993, and he was jailed on 18 August 1999 in the wave of repression after the failed assassination attempt on President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on 16 February 1999.
