KIEV, Feb. 13 – An international media watchdog slammed as “despicable” and “dangerous” a recent opinion piece written by President Viktor Yanukovych’s PR consultant in which he discusses the future murder of a prominent Ukrainian journalist.

Vyacheslav Pikhovshek, who writes in support of Yanukovych and his government, said he was “concerned” the investigative journalist Serhiy Leshchenko may be murdered to compromise Yanukovych and his policies.

Leshchenko is known for his investigative reports written for Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper that was founded by Heorhiy Gongadze, a journalist that was murdered in September 2000.

Pikhovshek, in his piece, suggested that opposition groups would be in favor of murdering Leshchenko that the blame could be put on the government.

“These comments are despicable and dangerous,” Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based media protection organization, said in a statement on Friday. “Suggesting that Leshchenko could suffer the same fate as Gongadze is a barely disguised death threat, one that is particularly revolting as the people behind Gongadze’s murder have still not been brought to justice although 10 years have gone by.”

“The comments are all the disturbing because they come from someone who is close to the government,” Reporters Withot Borders said. “They are a form of manipulation designed to intimidate and silence Leshchenko.”

Leshchenko recently reported that Viktor Yanukovych Jr., the son of the president, has been renting a luxurious Range Rover SUV from the presidential administration fleet of cars at a fraction of its market price.

Leshchenko recently also reported that a company building a soccer stadium in Kiev to host Euro-2012 tournament had been affiliated with Boris Kolesnikov, a deputy prime minister in charge of Euro-2012 infrastructure projects. Kolesnikov denied the charges, but Leshchenko had traced the company’s documents directly linking the company’s key shareholder to Kolesnikov’s lawyer.

Pikhovshek published his opinion piece at Izvestia v Ukrayine, a pro-government newspaper, on Jan. 26, but the newspaper’s editor had since refused to publish Leshchenko’s response.

“European democratic principles provide for the right of reply,” Leshchenko responded in his blog. “The newspaper published an article in which I was portrayed as a journalist who should be killed for bringing the government into disrepute.”

“I would like you to give me the opportunity to publish in your newspaper a complete response to this article, without any censorship,” Leshchenko wrote addressing Izvestia’s editor.

The latest incident comes amid concerns that the administration of Yanukovych has been seeking to restrict the freedom of speech and clamping down on opposition groups. (tl/ez)