Unease At Shameful Targeting Of Media Workers

Michael Hedges December 6, 2013 - Follow on Twitter

Nothing shines the light better than pictures. Those who carry cameras into the places that need to be seen are the most vulnerable of all media workers. Their load is enormous, the job increasingly precarious. The bad guys target them.

Protesters greeted diplomats arriving at Kiev’s International Exposition Center for the opening of the ministerial conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Activist members of the Stop Censorship group displayed signs in English and passed out photos pointing out complaints against Ukrainian authority’s violent response to last week’s demonstrations. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Leonid Kozhara chairs the OSCE this year and the meetings, December 5th and 6th, were scheduled months ago.

The presence of top diplomats in Kiev closely following massive demonstrations in response to President Viktor Yanukovych’ withdrawal a week ago from negotiations on closer ties with the European Union raised pressure, certainly with increased presence of international news organizations. About 50 media workers, including reporters and photographers from Reuters, AFP, AP and Euronews, were injured as Ukraine’s special riot police, the Berkut, removed demonstrators from Independence Square with batons and stun guns. The Stop Censorship group also handed arriving diplomats photos of the riot police beating media workers.

Opening the OSCE meeting and unable to avoid the obvious, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said “extremist forces” were among the demonstrators and the “temporary inconvenience” would soon be “overcome.” Members of Ukraine’s Parliament loyal to President Yanukovych presented a draft law “On Countering Extremism” earlier in the week (December 2) that would prohibit public assembly and media coverage of “extremists.” The draft is similar to a Russian law, currently in force. President Yanukovych skipped the OSCE meeting for trade consultations in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping and, reportedly, more advice later in the week from Russian President Vladmir Putin.

International media watchers have been appalled by the “magnitude of violence” directed at media workers. “I am especially concerned that in most of the cases, the beatings were reportedly conducted by the law enforcement officers who attacked the journalists and disregarded their press identification,” wrote OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic to Minister Azarov. “Violence against journalists cannot be tolerated.”

“Your public commitment to free speech and an independent media appears to have been entirely undermined by the actions of your own security services,” wrote publishers association WAN-IFRA to President Yanukovych. “It is imperative the media be permitted to carry out their essential role of informing the public at this crucial time for democracy in Ukraine.” (See WAN-IFRA statement here) The Stop Censorship group has asked the OSCE to send monitors to Ukraine and asked the government to identify members of the riot police involved.

Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest photojournalists were targeted during the sweep of Independence Square (December 1). News portal Telekritika published a series of graphic photos of bloodied media workers and broken cameras. (See here) Many Ukrainian news outlets, previously reticent to cover opposition issues, carried extensive reports, leading some observers to suggest President Yanukovych losing support from the country’s billionaires.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Press/Media Freedom - Challenges and Concerns

Press and media freedom worldwide is facing challenges from many corners. As authoritarian leaders impose strict control over traditional and new media with impunity, media watchers have concerns for democracy. This ftm Knowledge file accounts the troubles of this difficult decade. 88 pages. PDF (December 2011)

Order here