On that day Irena and correspondent Valeriy Sagaidak visited Bryukhovichi settlement in Lvov Region. Local residents told them that high-ranking militia officials had cut down valuable species of coniferous trees and built themselves comfortable villas. The militiamen now use them for their drunken orgies and night-time fireworks displays. The locals gave the journalists photographs of the houses and a list with the names of their owners.

After they had left Bryukhovichi, the journalists noticed that they were being followed by a car with militia registration. When they arrived to Lvov, Valeriy Sagaidak went home and Irena Tershak went to a shop to buy food. A militia UAZ vehicle was waiting for her outside. Four militiamen asked the journalist to go with them to Zaliznychnyi District militia department. "Our bosses want to speak to you," they explained.

In the duty room a major began to search the journalist. Not only he turned her pockets inside out but he also put his hand inside her bra. Angry Irena pushed the Major away. While he was inviting his subordinates to come in, she switched on her dictaphone that recorded the following conversation. Major: "Come in here. See how she’s beaten me up? [She has] torn up my shirt. Semoyn, write down: drunk, pestered militiamen, beat up the Major." Then Irena’s voice can be heard saying: "You are acting unlawfully. I am a journalist, deputy chair of Lvov organisation of the Free Trade Union of Ukraine. With respect, give your surname." The Major replied: "Call me Vasiliy Ivanovich. Hold her arms fast!"

The Major ordered his subordinates to handcuff the journalist. About ten militiamen knocked Irena down to the floor, twisted her arms and put on handcuffs. They stepped on the woman’s shoulders, beat her with truncheons on kidneys and liver. "Strip off! We shall search you!" shouted the militiamen. All this was recorded on the dictaphone. Ms Tershak, driven to despair, had to undress down to her underwear. After they watched the forced striptease, the militiamen called psychiatric ambulance team. The psychiatrists found that the journalist had hypertensic crisis and refused to take her to psychiatric hospital.

Angry militiamen grabbed Irena by the hair and dragged her to the car. They drove her to hospital. "We have found this beaten-up drunk woman on the street," they lied. But doctors showed them the door. The sobering-up station workers also refused to obey the militia. While driving around the city, militia officers beat the woman up with truncheons; one of them sat astride on top of her so she wouldn’t escape.

After bringing her back to the station, militiamen threatened that they would put her in the cell with criminals and AIDS-infected and have her raped to obtain evidence. The journalist was presented with a statement from a woman who claimed that drunk Irena broke a window in a flat. Fearing threats, broken down, Irena Tershak signed the statement which said that she had committed hooliganism. She was placed in a cell. She managed to take her mobile phone out of her handbag unnoticed and phoned correspondent Valeriy Sagaidak who got in touch with Lvov Prosecutor’s Office and human rights activist Anatoliy Komarov.

Irena Tershak was released 16 hours after the arrest. The militiamen stole the food she had bought in the shop, as well as cosmetics, Trade Union ID card and notes on the luxurious houses of the militia bosses. Strange as it may seem, they had forgotten to confiscate the Dictaphone tape. The victim enclosed the tape to her statement to Prosecutor of Zaliznychnyi district of Lvov and Minister for Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In the course of examination by forensic medical experts tens of abrasions, bruises and other injuries were found on the journalist’s body. She demands to instigate a criminal case against the militiamen for the use of torture and abuse of official status.