Attacks against journalists in Spain are unacceptable, says OSCE media freedom representative

TORONTO, 1 April 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed today deep concern about the violence and intimidation by police against journalists covering the demonstrations which took place in Madrid on Saturday 29 March 2014.

According to media reports (eldiario.es and periodismohumano.com) and professional associations (Asociación Nacional de Informadores Gráficos de Prensa y Televisión, Federación de Sindicatos de Periodistas de España and Federación de Asociaciones de Periodistas de España),  journalists who clearly identified themselves were attacked by police officers. Police also prevented the journalists from taking photographs and gathering information. The names of the journalists are Gabriel Pecot, Mario Munera and Juan Ramón Robles from eldiario.es, William A. Criollo (a freelance journalist) and Raul Capin from Diario DID, Mundo Obrero.

“Any attempt to intimidate or to attack journalists is a clear violation of the right to freedom of the media and cannot be tolerated,” Mijatović  said. “I call on the Spanish authorities to properly safeguard and improve journalists’ safety when reporting on public demonstrations and to thoroughly investigate these serious attacks.”

Mijatović has repeatedly stressed the importance of journalists’ safety as it constitutes a basic pre-condition for the effective and full exercise of the right to freedom of information and for a free and democratic media landscape.

Mijatović is in Toronto participating in an international conference on Internet freedom.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on facebook.com/osce.rfom.