Jurnalisti agresati in timpul protestelor din ultimele zile. Abuzuri ale Jandarmeriei impotriva cetatenilor
ActiveWatch – Agentia de Monitorizare a Presei si Reporteri fara Frontiere condamna agresiunile indreptate impotriva jurnalistilor, comise atat de unii protestatari, cat si de fortele de ordine. De asemenea, condamnam ingradirea de catre fortele de ordine a drepturilor la libera exprimare, libera circulatie si libera intrunire.
ERATA: Dintr-o eroare, am publicat in acest comunicat o informatie gresita. Jurnalistul Adelin Petrisor nu a fost agresat. Ne cerem scuze!In ultimele patru zile, mai multi jurnalisti au fost agresati de catre protestatari, dar si de catre jandarmi in timpul protestelor ce au avut loc in zeci de orase din tara.
Astfel, pe 14 ianuarie, in Ploiesti, mai multi jurnalisti si cameramani au fost amenintati, insultati si agresati de protestatari. In aceeasi seara, in Bucuresti, un cameraman al Antenei 3 a fost lovit cu un bolovan aruncat de protestatari. Protestatari din Piata Universitatii au aruncat cu pietre in masina echipei TVR si le-au adresat injurii adresat jurnalistilor si operatorilor.
Pe 15 ianuarie, in Piata Universitatii:
• reporterul Petre Nechita şi operatorul cu care era, Dragoş Stoian, au fost agresaţi violent de protestatari.
• reporterul TVR Adelin Petrisor a fost lovit in Piata Universitatii de un manifestant.
• redactorul DeCe News, Lucian Negrea a fost retinut abuziv si lovit de jandarmi.
• mai multi cameramani si fotoreporteri au fost agresati verbal si amenintati de catre protestatari.
In acelasi timp, Jandarmeria si Politia au comis o serie de abuzuri ce au avut ca efect violarea unor drepturi fundamentale, precum dreptul la libera exprimare, dreptul la libera intrunire si dreptul la libera circulatie.
In aceste ultime patru zile, fortele de ordine au retinut abuziv cetateni care protestau in Piata Universitatii, au agresat cetateni care filmau incidentele din piata, fara a lua parte la ele, au restrans dreptul la libera circulatie al unor cetateni din provincie ce doreau sa se deplaseze spre Bucuresti pentru a se alatura protestelor din Piata Universitatii, au impus filtre de control intr-un spatiu public, legitimand abuziv cetateni care se aflau in zona. 113 persoane au fost retinute pe 16 decembrie la Bucuresti, in zonele Pta. Universitatii si Bd. N. Balcescu, parte dintre acestea pentru presupusa “intentie de a bloca circulatia”, conform Jandarmeriei.
Aceste grave abuzuri, coroborate cu reactia disproportionata a fortelor de ordine fata de protestele care au inceput pasnic in serile de vineri si sambata au ca rezultat incitarea si radicalizarea protestatarilor, dand nastere unor scene de violenta urbana precum cele de duminica.
Reamintim fortelor de ordine ca rolul lor primordial ar trebui sa fie asigurarea protectiei cetatenilor in cadrul adunarilor publice pentru ca acestia sa isi exercite drepturile constitutionale.
Cerem responsabilitate din partea fortelor de ordine si folosirea cu maxima prudenta si numai ca ultima solutie a fortei impotriva protestatarilor atunci cand unii dintre acestia comit acte de violenta. Solicitam fortelor de ordine sa respecte si sa asigure protectia jurnalistilor si a celor care documenteaza situatia de pe teren.
Solicitam identificarea si sanctionarea jandarmilor, politistilor si protestatarilor care au agresat jurnalistii sau cetatenii care filmau sau documentau incidentele din Piata Universitatii, precum si a celor care au impiedicat libera deplasare a unor cetateni spre Capitala si in spatiile publice din Capitala.
De asemenea, recomandam jurnalistilor sa fie pregatiti pentru acoperirea unor asemenea evenimente ce pot implica si confruntari violente, sa poarte asupra lor echipament si imbracaminte distinctive pentru a fi usor identificati de catre fortele de ordine si de protestatari.
Rugam jurnalistii si cetatenii sa sesizeze ActiveWatch sau alte organizatii care apara drepturile omului cu privire la orice agresiuni sau abuzuri comise asupra lor.
In egala masura, facem un apel catre protestatari sa respecte munca jurnalistilor care au obligatia profesionala de a informa publicul. Jurnalistii sunt cei care au posibilitatea de a expune abuzurile fortelor de ordine. De asemenea, reamintim protestatarilor ca au dreptul sa filmeze si sa fotografieze tot ce se intampla in spatiul public si le recomandam sa faca uz de acest drept, mai ales in cazurile in care constata ca se comit abuzuri.
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17 January 2012
Violence against Journalists During Street Protests in Romania. Police Abuse Against Citizens.
ActiveWatch – Media Monitoring Agency and Reporters without Borders condemn the violence perpetrated against journalists by both police and protesters. The two organizations also condemn basic human rights violations by the riot police, such as the right to free speech, the right to freedom of movement and the right to freedom of assembly.
Both protesters and policemen had attacked several journalists during the street protests that took place in dozens of Romanian cities during the last four days.
On 14th of January, in Ploiesti (Prahova), protesters have threatened, insulted and assaulted journalists and cameramen. During the same evening, protesters in University Square in Bucharest threw stones against a cameraman for Antena3 TV channel. Journalists of the Romanian public television have been threatened and verbally abused and their car stoned by protesters in Bucharest.
On 15th of January, in the same University Square in Bucharest,
- reporter Petre Nechita and cameraman Dragos Stoian had been violently assaulted by protesters;
- a protester hit TVR reporter Adelin Petrisor;
- riot police hit and detained DC News editor Lucian Negrea;
- several other cameramen and reporters had been verbally abused and threatened by protesters.
At the same time, the Police committed a series of abuses that violated fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement. In the last four days, the riot police abusively detained people protesting in University Square, assaulted citizens who were simply filming incidents at the place of the protest without being part of those, limited the freedom of movement of the citizens in other cities trying to reach Bucharest to join the protest in the University Square, imposed screening filters in public spaces, abusively checking people’s IDs.
On the 16th of January in Bucharest around University Square, 113 people had been detained by the riot police who considered them “to have the intention to block the traffic”.
These serious abuses, associated with the disproportionate response of the law enforcement on the protests that began peacefully on Friday and Saturday evenings, inflamed and radicalized groups of protesters, who rioted on Sunday evening in scenes of unprecedented violence in the past 20 years.
Our organizations would like to remind the law enforcement institutions that their main goal should be to provide a safe environment in which citizens can exercise their constitutional rights during a public gathering.
ActiveWatch and Reporters without Borders call on the law enforcement institutions to exercise the use of force against protesters with extreme caution and only as a last resort in case of acts of violence and to provide protection of journalists and those who document the situation on the ground.
We demand the sanctioning of policemen and protesters who attacked journalists and citizens who filmed, took pictures or documented the riots in University Square, as well as those policemen who obstructed the free circulation of citizens trying to reach Bucharest and its public areas.
We recommend journalists to be fully prepared to cover events which may involve violent confrontations, to wear distinctive clothing in order to be easily identified by policemen and protesters.
We ask journalists and citizens to notify our organizations or other human rights organizations in regard to any abuses or attacks witnessed.
Equally, we call on the protesters to respect the work of journalists who are professionally compelled to inform the public. Journalists can expose the law enforcement abuses. Also, we remind protesters that they have the right to film and photograph everything that happens in public areas and we recommend them to make use of this right especially in cases in which where they discover abuses.
ActiveWatch and Reporters sans Frontieres
ActiveWatch – Media Monitoring Agency
T: 021 313 40 47
Reporters sans frontières | Reporters Without Borders | Репортеры без границ
Bureau Europe & Asie centrale | Europe & Central Asia Desk | Отдел Европы и Средней Азии
T : + 33 1 44 83 84 67
F : + 33 1 45 23 11 51
Skype : europarsf
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook