The Ukrainian authorities have banned three Italian journalists from covering the war: Andrea Sceresini, Alfredo Bosco and Salvatore Garzillo. They are accused of being spies for the Russians.
From left: Andrea Sceresini, Alfredo Bosco, Salvatore Garzillo
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Forbidden to document the war: ad Andrea Sceresini, Alfredo Bosco and Salvatore Garzillo – three Italian journalists – in recent days the Ukrainian authorities have prevented them from carrying out their work and reporting on the conflict.
These are reporters who have followed the unfolding of the fighting since 2014, well before the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, and who for those nine years have correctly reported the events of the war and have exclusively sided with the martyred populace. Well, despite their proven professionalism, Sceresini and Bosco – who are in Kiev – were denied military accreditation overnight. Instead, Salvatore Garzillo, an employee of Fanpage.it, was turned away at the border with Poland.
Apparently, the three were locked into one by the Ukrainian secret services Blacklist of undesirables with the heavy, never officially formalized charge of being supporters of the Russians. In a letter to the Art. 21 Association, the attorney Alexandra Ballerinidefending the three reporters, explains: “In fact, this completely unfounded allegation amounts to a very serious violation of the right to information and a specific risk to the safety of my customers“.
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The lawyer adds: “The suspension of accreditations – duly issued in March 2022 – makes it impossible to move freely in the country, especially in areas close to the front lines, and the real risk of being arrested at the first checkpoint.” improper provision makes it impossible for my clients to practice their journalism profession and poses a serious threat to their safety.
The only official news communicated to the journalists Sceresini and Bosco, despite the many reminders also sent through our embassy, concerns a hypothetical ‘interrogation‘ to which they were to be subjected and which were to be carried out by the men of the SBU, the Ukrainian security service. Originally, this “interrogation” was supposed to take place in Kramatorsk on February 6 and for this purpose the phone numbers and addresses of the two journalists were sent to the SBU with the request that the interrogation could take place as soon as possible.”
Where are Sceresini, Bosco and Garzillo
The interrogation never took place. Sceresini and Bosco spent a few days in a town often bombarded by the Russians, unable to leave their homes for obvious security reasons. Then, on the advice of the Italian Embassy in Ukraine, the two reporters They stopped in Kyiv, where the headquarters of the SBU is located. They’re still waiting to be questioned.
Salvatore Garzillo was February 14th prevented from entering Ukraine via the Polish border, as “undesirable”. No further explanations were given to him either.
The hope is that it will be the prime minister who will unblock the situation Giorgia Meloni, who will travel to Kiev on Monday. Apparently, besides Andrea Sceresini, Alfredo Bosco and Salvatore Garzillo, there were seven or eight other Italian journalists in Ukraine, all of whom were unable to do their jobs and document the war.