MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2019) The College of Catalan Journalists issued a sharp rebuke of Spanish police and protesters on Tuesday for hurting some 65 media workers during pro-independence protests in the region.
"Almost 65 journalists, according to the latest tally, fell victim to violence while doing their job, which is absolutely unacceptable. We reject each and every one of these actions ... We note, however, that they are especially serious when perpetrated by public servants," the statement read.
The journalists' union demanded that the Catalan authorities guarantee the safety of reporters, including from police misconduct. Police officers, it said, appeared to arbitrarily attack media workers apparently to intimidate and silence them.
The media freedom watchdog for the OSCE regional security organization, Harlem Desir, also condemned violence against reporters covering protests in Catalonia. He said journalists had been fired at with rubber bullets by police and assaulted by protesters. One reporter was briefly detained on Friday.
