KIEV, Aug. 19 — Ukraine's interior minister said Thursday that investigators will make every effort to find a missing journalist who wrote about corruption in law enforcement structures, The Canadian Press reported.

Vasyl Klymentyev, the editor of weekly newspaper Novy Stil (New Style) in Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv, has been missing for more than a week. He was last seen leaving his home Aug. 11 with an unknown man in a BMW. He has not been heard from since.

His deputy, Petro Matvienko, said Klymentyev had been threatened after refusing to take money to kill a story about a regional prosecutor accused of accepting bribes to close criminal cases.

Police said Wednesday that Klymentyev’s cell phone had been found in a boat that had been floating empty at the Pechenizke lake in the Kharkiv region. The phone was apparently discovered on Aug. 17 by people vacationing in the area.

Pressure on journalists has been steadily rising in Ukraine since Kremlin-friendly Viktor Yanukovych was elected president in February.

International rights groups have expressed concern about a deterioration of media freedom in Ukraine, pointing to journalists' complaints about state-sponsored censorship, official pressure and physical attacks.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement Wednesday saying it was concerned about Klymentyev's well-being and urging Kharkiv authorities to carry out a thorough investigation.

"Given that Klymentyev's newspaper was known for its critical coverage of authorities, we urge investigators to focus on his journalism as a motive," said Nina Ognianova, the group's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.
Interior Minister Anatoly Mohyliov said Thursday he was taking the case under his personal control.

In 2000, opposition journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, who wrote about corruption among Ukraine's political elite, had been considered missing for months before his decapitated body was found outside Kyiv.

The killing sparked months of protests against then-President Leonid Kuchma, who was accused of involvement in the journalist's death. (cp/tl/ez)