28 January, 2014 21:57
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SOS Kiev: International and European Federations of Journalists launch campaign to support their Ukrainian colleagues
“As the violence and turmoil escalates in Ukraine’s capital city, there have been many reports of widespread abuse, intimidation and violence against journalists covering the protests. To date, over 150 journalists and media workers have been attacked,” the campaign newsletter says. “To respond to the crisis, the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists have launched a campaign calling for your support to demand the Ukrainian Government to respect press freedom and end attacks on journalists in the country.”
In the past few days alone, 42 journalists have been attacked while reporting on the protests, the initiators say. Therefore, IFJ and EFJ affiliates in Ukraine, the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU) and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), will be monitoring the situation closely and are providing the latest updates on the attacks on journalists.
The campaign offers Ukrainian journalists in need of financial assistance for immediate medical, legal or security expenses to apply to the IFJ Safety Fund, set up to help reporters who experience violence, threats and injuries as a result of the work they do worldwide. For those willing to join the campaign, IFJ and EFJ urge volunteers to provide refuge to Ukrainian journalists fleeing from Ukraine for safety reasons; join the social media campaign by hashtagging solidarity message to #SOS Kiev; sign the petition letter to the Ukrainian President calling for an end to violence against journalists; help the IFJ and EFJ document attacks on journalists by hashtagging alerts or pictures to #SOS Kiev; or donate to the Safety Fund to provide financial assistance to journalists.
Also, the newsletter provides safety tips for journalists reporting at protests.
- Ukrainian Security Service Chief: Twenty-six Russian security officers were involved in planning of the bloodshed on Maidan
- Yanukovych is in Russia and may be granted asylum there
- Financial Times: Russia-Ukraine tensions seethe in Crimea
- German, French and Polish ministers come to the Verkhovna Rada
- Radoslaw Sikorski: There is no coup in Ukraine
- Rzeczpospolita: The EU does not intend to mince its words with Russia in Brussels today
- Prime Minister Azarov resigns
- Another round of talks: January 16 laws will be cancelled; Yatseniuk rejects Viktor Yanukovych’s proposal to become premier
- Protesters injured in clashes in Dnipropetrovsk. Police clears up protest in Sumy. More protesters injured and arrested
- Protesters violently disrupted in Zaporizhzhia