The International Federation of Journalists (FIJ) expressed today its deep concern about the serious dangers the media correspondents covering the Ukrainian crisis are facing, in the form of attacks or intimidation.
“We continue to be deeply concerned about possible violence acts against the journalists and the media covering the developments in Ukraine” said Jim Boumela, president of FIJ, an organization based in Brussels.

“We ask both sides to respect the freedom and rights of all journalists”, he said in the official announcement of the Federation.

Citing information released in the press, FIJ denounced the ban on entry in Ukraine for more than 20 reporters and crews of Russian media, including the news agency Ria Novosti, the television networks Russia 24 and RT and the newspaper Kommersant.

Moreover a group of BBC News received threats and its equipment was damaged today by a group of pro-Russian protesters in Slavyansk, a city in eastern Ukraine, where tensions are running high these days. Yesterday, masked men attacked Frederick Paxton, an independent British photojournalist, and seized his material and equipment in Horlivka, according to FIJ.

The organization also referred to cases of journalists of the independent news website Hromantske and also of the Russian site Lenta who were detained for several hours by gunmen on Saturday.

At least seven masked men attacked and punched locals who work for the website and the newspaper Gorlovka and Criminal Express in Horlivka.
Moscow and Kiev exchange accusations of biased media coverage of the Ukrainian crisis developments.