EDITORIAL: Don't forget about Gongadze (07/15/01)

EDITORIAL

Don't forget about Gongadze

The grisly murder last week of yet another Ukrainian journalist, the third in the last year and the 11th since independence, has caused another international uproar and further smudged Ukraine's reputation. Unfortunately, it may also provide authorities an opportunity to push the unresolved death of another journalist, Heorhii Gongadze, into the background.

The latest dead journalist, Ihor Aleksandrov, was found on July 3 beaten to unconsciousness, lying in a pool of blood outside the television station where he worked in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slaviansk. Law enforcement officials found two baseball bats next to the journalist, who died of head injuries several days later, never regaining consciousness.

Some media reports have suggested that Mr. Aleksandrov was killed because of a television program in which officers spoke of alleged corruption within elite police units.

Whereas President Leonid Kuchma stayed on the sidelines while his team of Keystone Cops and inept public prosecutors bumbled the investigation into the murder of Mr. Gongadze - whether purposely or not is still not certain - this time the president has gotten involved from the outset and has taken the case under his own personal supervision.

Mr. Kuchma and company, however, cannot and must not be allowed to throw the Gongadze affair into the political closet as they work to solve the killing of yet another journalist. On the contrary, the president must reinvigorate the investigation into the Gongadze murder, if he is in fact innocent of the very serious allegations leveled by some.

Certainly the letter of condolence to Mr. Aleksandrov's wife and the president's stated intention to open hotlines around the country to handle complaints on the harassment of journalists were good moves. However, there is reason to question the motivation for the hugely public manner in which the president's displays of concern have taken place. Although the intentions could well be sincere, the actions smack of a public relations gimmick, or worse yet, an attempt to manipulate the situation to bury the Gongadze case by focusing on the Aleksandrov murder.

In terms of news coverage, it would seem that the matter of Mr. Gongadze and the recordings that implicate the president and his aides is over - although that is far from the truth. A press conference three weeks ago held by Lesia Gongadze, the dead journalist's mother, was lightly attended, with no leading members of the Kyiv press corps present.

Ever since the two leading officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued incredulous and very different versions of how Mr. Gongadze met his demise, little additional hard information has surfaced.

Undoubtedly, the president and his cohorts would like to see it go away in view of all the problems it has caused them. And the Aleksandrov case could be the best opportunity to do just that.

Mr. Kuchma's response to the Aleksandrov murder has been a mini media blitz: the Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a press release explaining Mr. Kuchma's moves; Mr. Kuchma was seen on Ukrainian television stating that the situation around the Donbas journalist could lead to widespread civil unrest and even civil war. That is probably a bit overdone but an effective ploy to get the country's attention on the new murder and away from the messy old one.

By playing up efforts to solve the latest killing, with the president leading the way, Mr. Kuchma could develop an image of himself as the new crusader for human rights in the country. This could help make people forget about how badly his subordinates screwed up the Gongadze affair, or that they were involved directly in the journalist's death, as some allege.

Mr. Kuchma must not be allowed to leave the Gongadze affair behind. The nation and the dead journalist's loved ones deserve closure. Too much has happened for the case to quietly "go away." Too many loose ends remain. Almost no one believes the versions put forward by Ministry of Internal Affairs officials that the journalist's killers are dead, and that they were either gangsters or drug addicts.

The president would be wise to take the Gongadze case also under his special care, if indeed he has nothing to hide.

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