Journalist Yefimenko reported intimidation and harassment in occupied Crimea
Journalist Oleksandra Yefimenko said Russian police could harass her in occupied Crimea. Because of intimidation and threats, she decided not to travel to the peninsula until the situation improved.
She announced it on Facebook and in a comment to Suspilne Crimea.
“My last trip to the Crimea lasted from September to November. A week later, after arriving on the peninsula, when I opened the gate of my house in the morning, two red carnations with a black ribbon fell at my feet. Then I decided to stay and complete my work. However, I realised it was a very serious warning. After returning to Kyiv at the end of December 2021, I was called and told that there were “police” in the place where I stayed during my work trip. They came, called my name, and asked neighbours for information about me", - the journalist wrote.
According to her, whoever arranged all this, in fact, deprives Yefimenko of the right to a profession. She had been waiting for something like this for a long time and was not surprised.
“I have been working as a correspondent in Crimea for four years, since November 2017. And for the first time, I decided I needed to stop. My trips to the peninsula now will not bring benefits and quality work, but problems for me and most importantly, my close circle. I will not go to Crimea until better times. It does not mean that I will leave this topic. It means that I just need to adjust to the new reality. The decision was not easy for me”, - the journalist said.
She said that she would continue to work on the Crimean topic “in the new reality” and thanked the editors of Crimea. Realities, Suspilne Crimea and Grani.Ru for their cooperation.
“I can’t say for sure who the flowers were for but I connect them with my professional activity. The Crimean police also asked questions about me - it is a fact. In 2019, I was detained and then released, with no case made against me. Russian customs officers have talked to me several times about why I am going to Crimea”, - Yefimenko told Suspilne Crimea.
According to her, almost everyone involved in independent journalism or human rights activities, including activists, face this problem.
“Everything that has happened to me I perceive to be absolutely expected. It is unpleasant but I have to get over it. I plan to continue working with the Crimean theme. To do exactly what I did before this situation, but without visiting the Crimean peninsula”, - she said.
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