On September 16, memorial events took place in Kyiv, Lviv, and several other cities to mark the 25th anniversary of the disappearance and murder of Georgiy Gongadze, a renowned journalist and founder of the online publication “Ukrainska Pravda.”
This is reported by Kyiv24
Memorial Events in Kyiv and Lviv
In the capital, journalists, public figures, and concerned citizens gathered at Contract Square to honor the memory of Georgiy Gongadze, fallen media representatives, and those who continue to be unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation. During the event, an exhibition titled “The Diary of Georgiy Gongadze” was opened, showcasing quotes and illustrations related to the journalist’s life and work.
“The organizers of this crime have not been punished. The conspiracy of elites continues in Ukraine,” said public figure, journalist, and Georgiy’s wife, Myroslava Gongadze, in her speech.
Myroslava Gongadze emphasized that the current struggle of Ukrainians for rights and justice began during the time of Gongadze’s tragedy, when citizens realized that the authorities could act against them, and their rights needed to be defended openly. According to her, this pursuit of justice has become the foundation of a new Ukrainian reality.
In Lviv, information stands with photographs, quotes from Georgiy Gongadze, and other materials highlighting this case were set up in Rynok Square.
Chronology of the Gongadze Case
Georgiy Gongadze disappeared on September 16, 2000. By November of that year, a headless body was found in a forest near Tarashcha in the Kyiv region, which, according to experts, could belong to the journalist. In 2009, skull remains were discovered in the Kyiv region, which, according to the General Prosecutor’s Office, belonged to Gongadze.
On March 15, 2008, the Kyiv City Court of Appeals found three former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of External Surveillance—Valeriy Kostenko, Mykola Protasov, and Oleksandr Popovych—guilty of the journalist’s murder. They were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 12 to 13 years.
In January 2013, the court sentenced former head of the Department of External Surveillance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Oleksiy Pukach to life imprisonment for the murder of the journalist. In July 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the decision for Pukach’s life imprisonment.
Georgiy Gongadze was buried in Kyiv on March 22, 2016. Despite the court sentences and the identification of the executors of the crime, the masterminds behind the murder remain unknown.