A YEAR AFTER: MAIN VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CRIMEA PART 4 ual journalists who have been critical of the state of things on the peninsula still remained. In a situation when Crimea was just starting to accede the le- gal framework of the Russian Federation, the new authori- ties used the ‘Crimean self-de- fense’ for the unlawful physical coercion of politically undesir- able journalists. Only from May 15 to 19, 2014 (during the preparation and carrying of the Memorial Day for Victims of Deportation), the Crimean Field Mission on Human Rights recorded 9 cases of gross violations of the rights of journalists by the ‘Crimean self-defense’. These included unlawful detentions, equipment conR scation and damage, and physical vio- lence against the representa- tives of media. In addition, the view of inde- pendent journalists as a ‘R fth column’ was disseminated among the population. The government-controlled media regularly demanded from local residents ‘to be vigi- lant’ and not to make any comments to pro-Ukrainian journalists. If the latter asked ‘provocative questions’ (about increased prices, failed holiday season, law violations etc.), this was supposed to be reported to the ‘Crimean self-defense’. All this led to the creation of an environment in which journalists are afraid to crit- icize the government and cover the problems of the peninsula. The situation is ag- gravated by the fact that all self-defense’s attacks on journalists have not yet been investigated by Crimean authorities, which creates an atmosphere of impunity for the perpetrators. As a result, most of the independent journalists either left the ter- ritory of Crimea or ceased to openly criticize the policy of the RF. 99