The Association of European Journalists (AEJ) protests in the strongest terms against the many acts of unprovoked acts of violence including beatings carried out by police against journalists and other media personnel during the recent and current demonstrations in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. At least about 40 media workers, including both Ukrainian and foreign nationals, have been victims of the excessive and shocking use of force by police, which has resulted in a large number of physical injuries. It is wholly unacceptable that in many cases police have assaulted media workers who have clearly displayed press identification and identified themselves as members of the media; credible reports indicate that in numerous cases journalists have been deliberately targeted to be attacked.
The AEJ calls on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that all such assaults cease immediately, take all necessary measures to protect media workers from violence, and punish law-enforcement officials who have attacked journalists and other media workers or have obstructed their work during peaceful protest demonstrations and gatherings in Ukraine.
As of this date a preliminary list of journalists who have been victims of unwarranted violence by police includes the following names:
1. Alexander Perevoznik – press photographer of the Ligabusinessinform News Agency. Covered the action on Bankova Street, near the building of Administration of the President of Ukraine. Mr. Perevoznik is an 8-times nominee for “the Golden Eagle” journalism award. He was wearing a press badge and had identified himself to police as a journalist.
2. The media crew to the Channel 5 TV – reporter Natalia Sinew and camera operator Yury Usik were stoned.
3. Gleb Garanich – Reuters photographer was beaten by police on November 30 and suffered serious head injuries.
4. Dmitry Prihna – j ournalist of the information agency “Next to You” was beaten by police. He was wearing a press badge and was carrying a camera, but he was beaten by police and suffered serious head injuries.
5. Roman Kupriyanov – operator of Euronews TV Channel. Police attacked him after he he ignored an instruction by the Berkut special forces not to film a man lying on the pavement hurt after being beaten by police. Roman was then himself attacked by the police and suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.
6. Polish journalist Pawel Pieniazek, working for “Golden Eagle” in Kiev was attacked by military during their incursion against the encampment of demonstrators on Independence Square.
7. Journalists Dmitry Gnap and Yakov Ljubchych from Hromadske.tv were beaten by “titushki’s” – organised thugs – and their camera and other equipment were badly damaged.
8. Valeriya Burlakova – j ournalist from Ukrainian week magazine, was hurt when a noise grenade exploded near her.
9. Mustafa Nayem – a journalist from Ukrainska Pravda was hit on the head during a tear gas attack.
10. Max Levin – a journalist, suffered severe bruising resulting from the explosion of a stun grenades.
11. Vlad Puchych – editor-in-Chief of the newspaper “20 minutes” (city of Zhitomir), beaten by police forces.
12. French cameraman Agence France-Presse
13 Maxim Kudinec – photojournalist, testified that he was deliberately struck by law-enforcement officers and his camera was damaged after he told them that he is a columnist.
14. Sergej Chuzavkov – Associated Press journalist suffered serious head injuries after being struck by a stone.
15. A journalist of Ukrainian TV channel UBR was assaulted;
16. Dmitry Larin – journalist from Ukrainska Pravda was attacked while filming a police assault on another member of the media; he was wearing an orange press vest.
17. Anatoliy Stepanov – photographer, suffered serious head and hand injuries in an assault by riot police, desire making clear that he is a journalist.
18. Ivan Chernichkin – a freelance journalist, suffered a leg injury as a result of use by police of noise grenades near the Administration of the president of Ukraine.
19. Alexander Zakletskiy – operator and cameraman, was kicked and beaten with truncheons by police who also tried to seize and break his camera.
20. Anton Chernyshov from Independent journalists Trade Union was badly beaten and his camera was smashed.
21 Denis Danko – journalist for “Money” TV suffered head injuries.
22. Sergei Supinsky – journalist for AFP, suffered a foot injury while covering events at the European Camp of demonstrators in Kiev.
23. Yaroslav Galata – journalist for the Democratic Ukraine newspaper, suffered minor injuries when a grenade exploded under his feet.
24. Mikhail Zagorsky – photographer from the city of Zhitomir, was struck in the face by a police officer wielding a baton after filming police assaults on others. He had identified himself as a journalist.
25. Dmitriy Kachura – correspondent for Comments Agency was beaten by police.
26. Evgeny Golovenko – journalist to Ukrainian News Agency, was knocked unconscious by a tear gas grenade attack close to the President’s Administration; he received first aid on the spot.
27. Oleg Khavruk – Deputy Editor of Comments.ua agency suffered injuries requiring stitches on his hand and back in an attack.
28. Sergej Dolzhenko – photographer for European Union Agency EPA.
29. Eugene Feldman – journalist of Novaya Gazeta (Russia), struck by a stone near the Lenin monument.
30. Yuri Butusov – editor of the website Цензор.net (censor.net), suffered serious head injuries;
31. Emin Kalantarov, of Lifenews (Russia), attacked by “Berkut” and suffered injuries to his hand. His camera was also broken.
32. Sergey Polezhaka – freelancer. He was beaten on the hands, and his camera was smashed.
33. Yevhen Maloletka – of the UNIAN press agency suffered a fractured arm and his equipment was damaged, despite identifying himself as a journalist.
34. Igor Volosjakin – journalist, the site uezd.com.ua, suffered a head injury after being struck by a stone.
35. Valeriy Kolosjuk – editor of the Internet-portal “Aratta” – Window on Ukraine was knocked to the ground and violently attacked by a group of at least six people. His camera was broken.
36. Sergei Yurchenko – correspondent of Portal “Novoross info” and “Tauris”. He suffered serious head and body injuries requiring hospital treatment while covering events on Bankovaya Street in Kyev.
37. Joseph Siven′kiy – photo correspondent of The New York Times, was injured during the police storming of Bankova Street; he suffered face injuries from a police grenade.
38. Stanislav Kozlyuk – correspondent of the newspaper “Ukrainian week”, suffered injuries during clashes near the Cabinet on November 24.
39. Johannes Vamberg Andersen – a Danish journalist, suffered head injuries when beaten by police on the night of 30 November.