Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir called on the US government on Monday to guarantee safety of journalists covering the ongoing protests
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2020) Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir called on the US government on Monday to guarantee safety of journalists covering the ongoing protests.
People across the US have been rallying since May 25 against police brutality and racism. The riots were provoked by the death of� George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who died last week in Minneapolis police custody. The US police have regularly used riot control weapons to disperse protesters in various cities. On Saturday night, the Minneapolis police deliberately used pepper spray on a group of journalists, including RIA Novosti correspondent Mikhail Turgiyev, after the protest was already dispersed.
"I am deeply concerned by the number of incidents and attacks by police and demonstrators against journalists covering protests in the United States over the past few days ... Many of these incidents involved arrests and the use of force by police, including rubber bullets, pepper bullets, tear gas and pepper spray, as well as acts of violence by protesters. I call on the authorities to exercise restraint and to ensure that journalists can work safely while reporting on public protests. The role of a free press must be safeguarded at all times and journalists must be free to report without facing violence, arrest or intimidation," Desir said in a statement.
