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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Yanukovych Threatens International Litigation Against Nosy Reporter



Reporter: Tetyana Chornovil, Obozrevatel. Um…Viktor Fedorovych, the state residence Mezhyhirya, where you still reside, was privatized by a murky firm a few months ago. Could you please tell how it is moral to talk about the sale of state-owned residences in open-bid auctions while doing the privatizing the backdoor way?

Yanukovych: I didn’t hear you well, and…um…I mean…you meant…um…
Reporter: The residence near Novi Petrivtsi

Yanukovych: ...you meant me perso…me personally?
Reporter: Yes, you personally.

Yanukovych: I would like to tell you, inform you, that if you print unfounded claims, I will sue you.
Reporter: Could you please tell what’s unfounded here?

Yanukovych: …and will sue you in a court — listen, listen to me carefully — in an international court, which I will specify for you later.

Yanukovych: You don’t play, don’t play with me, because I’m a living human being. And do not offend me, because…

What a sad story! In a land of lawlessness, a law-abiding, poor, persecuted, and defamed man like Yanukovych has no hope but to turn to the International Court of Justice, his last line of defense.

Video uploaded from:
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/71983.html

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Taras,

I just received an email that new comment was posted to the blog. Will publish all comments on Thursday (I am on Holidays now and avoid login in to the Blog from home).

Yes, Carol of the Bells is Ukrainian song and it's the most beautiful Christmas song there is. Ukrainian people have always been very talented with Orchestra, and I am proud of you and your people.

Christmas Eve in Sarajevo was adapted from Carol of the Bells, take a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Eve/Sarajevo_12/24

All the best and Merry Christmas.

Daniel

Taras said...

Thank you for the Wiki article, Daniel. Merry Christmas to you, too!

Anonymous said...

This video REALLY infuriates me - not only did Yanu - sidestep a direct question - which yeah, politicians do all the time --- but afterwards a SPECIAL point of singling her out and threatening her. Who does he think he is? And what he is going to court - abroad??? like Akhmetov who took Oboz to court in London. What does not trust the Ukrainian judicial system and legal code. ARGH. Freedom of the press esp. investigative journalism has to be protected in Ukraine. (and it is not as if these reports lead to any police investigations or arrests or convictions so what is Yanu afraid of?)

Luida

Taras said...

Despite being a little nervous initially, Chornovil did a great job. She nailed him!

Yanuk’s defensiveness made him look pathetic. The way he went on making fun of himself was unforgettable.

Poor critter. He never knew what hit him. Feigned a hearing disability, sent out an SOS to the Hague, and then made the moves on the reporter. What a jerk.

If so much as a hair on her head is harmed, he will be our prime suspect.

Anonymous said...

What a difference between this and --- Kuchma.

If you recall, after Gongadze asked Kuchma a series of peppering questions, Kuchma stopped - and the only question he asked was "what is your name"?

That's all on video tape.

Yanuk and the boys will have to learn how to dodge questions a little more smoothly.

This is not quite "ambush journalism," since everything at a press conference is fair game. So she was completely within her rights to be asking such questions.

But, yes, it is quite telling that not even Yanuk trusts Ukrainian courts for a personal lawsuit.

So he trades Ukrainian courts for a court to be decided later.

Perhaps China? Or Zimbabwe?

The question is - how much does he trust criminal prosecutors, if she is harmed?

After all, nothing has been done about Gongadze, except to conduct a trial in secret.

Orest said...

It's about time more reporters got in the the face of these politicians. Who on earth does Yanukovych think he is?????

Taras said...

Theories abound as to who murdered Gongadze and why.

As one prominent theory has it, the Kremlin relied on the Gongadze murder — and on the opposition protests that followed — to weaken Kuchma and make him more manageable. According to this theory, all the events were orchestrated and fine-tuned in a way that fit Melnychenko’s records.

Of course, it’s just a theory. Three years ago, Yushchenko promised to close this case, but as we all know, the case remains unsolved to this day.

As for Yanukovych, he hasn’t quite learned to live in a freer country, and it shows. He behaves like Kuchma — something of a biological imperative for an off-again, on-again semi-god in a country that hasn’t completely shed Kuchma’s karma.