Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda is calling for an independent investigation into the detention of two of its journalists in Vienna, saying Austrian law enforcement officers used excessive force, and questioning the justification for their arrests.
Investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko were arrested on Oct. 8 while carrying out an editorial assignment, and held in custody for 12 and 24 hours, respectively. They described the arrest as "brutal" and said they were treated "like terrorists."
Tkach is known in Ukraine for his investigations of high-level corruption. He alleged that the arrest could have been retaliation from subjects of his investigations, who could have manipulated Austrian authorities by filing a fake report.
In an Oct. 12 statement, editor-in-chief Sevgil Musayeva criticized the Vienna prosecutor's office for defending the actions of officers.
"The right to investigate suspicions does not mean the right to use any means," Musayeva wrote, arguing that the measures taken against the journalists were unjustified and disproportionate.
In an Oct. 12 press release, Vienna prosecutors said that the two journalists were arrested because they were mistakenly deemed conspirators of two different Ukrainian nationals currently in pretrial detention on suspicion of espionage.
The connection was alleged because of "witness statements" that claimed both groups were observed surveilling a certain property, and on the fact that "surveillance was carried out during the same period and in the same manner."
The prosecutor's office maintained that the arrests were justified by the information available at the time and were unrelated to the journalists' professional activities. The prosecutors claimed that at the time of the arrest, "it was not known that the accused were a Ukrainian investigative journalist and a cameraman."
The statement also claimed that the arrest originally targeted only one of the two journalists, and the police arrested the second one "on their own initiative." However, a detailed account of the arrest and questioning, shared by Ukrainska Pravda on Oct. 9, appears to contradict that claim. Both reporters were treated as subjects of an investigation and presented with accusations during their questioning.
Musayeva questioned how investigators had verified the witness accounts, and challenged the prosecutors' explanation that authorities were unaware of the men's profession, saying their identities could have been quickly verified through publicly available information or by contacting Ukrainska Pravda.
Musayeva demanded explanations for the force used during the arrests, the length of the journalists' detention, the seizure of their communications equipment and damage to or loss of their property.
Bondarenko said in an Oct. 10 account that officers smashed the windows of the journalists' vehicle and forced him face down onto broken glass. He said three glass fragments were subsequently removed from beneath his eye during a hospital procedure while he remained handcuffed.
Tkach previously described being dragged from the vehicle by armed, masked officers and restrained with a knee against his neck despite repeatedly identifying himself as a journalist.
The journalists had been investigating the whereabouts of former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who is believed to be in Vienna.
Musayeva said the outlet would work with lawyers to seek an independent investigation, establish responsibility for any violations and obtain compensation for damages.
"The release of our colleagues does not close this story," she wrote.
The International Press Institute (IPI) has also expressed concern over the journalists' detention and the force reportedly used during their arrests, calling on Austrian authorities to clarify the legal grounds for their detention and investigate the circumstances of the incident.