VIENNA, December 02. /ITAR-TASS/. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has voiced concern about the use of violence against journalists who are covering events in Kiev.

“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. Violence against journalists cannot be tolerated”, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic wrote in a letter to OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

Mijatovic reiterated the call to the Ukrainian authorities to take urgent action to halt the violence against media and to swiftly launch investigation into these attacks.

According to information available to the Representative’s office more than 40 journalists representing national and international media outlets, including Ukrainskaya Pravda, 5 Kanal, 1+1, Euronews, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, The New York Times, were physically assaulted and severely injured while covering the public protests in Kiev.