Journalist Bochkala detained at airport because of ‘suspicious persons’ list

The officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine detained journalist Roman Bochkala at the Boryspil Airport and subjected him to careful examination due to the fact his name had been on the “suspicious persons” list.

Bochkala wrote this on Facebook.

According to him, while he was going through the customs control, the officers asked him to follow them.

“They said there was a document on my name and they needed to clarify the information. I was taken to the room,” Bochkala wrote.

As it turned out, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has the list of “suspicious persons”, who should be checked.

“There are persistent offenders, would-be terrorists on that list. Usually people are put on the list at the suggestion of law enforcement agencies. However, in my case, the State Border Guard Service initiated that,” Bochkala wrote.

Bochkala thinks he was put on the list because of his material about the border guards involved in smuggling in Chernivtsi region.

Bochkala noted that he had been released only after the press service had interfered just some 15 minutes before the flight.

“At first they promised, but then refused to give me a copy of the document, I was arrested on. Then they found I am a journalist. They apologized and promised this would not happen again. I will see that, when I will be crossing the border next time…” the journalist wrote.

The press center of the State Border Guard Service said in a commentary to Hromadske Radio that the incident with Roman Bochkala was an unfortunate mistake: “An inaccuracy has been eliminated. He was removed from the database.”

The press center also informed that Bochkala’s detention was not related to his journalistic activities.