Dozens of journalists have been beaten by police during the mass pro-European protests in Ukraine over the weekend, according to a media rights watchdog.

A list compiled by Telekritika listed 43 reporters, photographers and cameramen, saying most of them were hurt during clashes Sunday outside the presidential administration building, RIA Novosti informs.

“Every officer running by me hit me with a club. I was hit 30 times altogether. They kicked me in the head, chest, hands,” award-winning Ukrainian journalist Denys Danko has said, according to the Kyiv Post.

The media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has expressed concern over the “magnitude of violence against members of the media at the demonstrations in Kyiv” that took place on  Sunday.

“I am especially concerned that in most of the cases, the beatings were reportedly conducted by law enforcement officers who attacked journalists and disregarded their press identification. Violence against journalists cannot be tolerated”, said Dujna Mijatovic, OSCE representative on freedom of the media, in a letter to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

Dozens of thousands of citizens and university students have been staging mass rallies for over a week in Kiev against their President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Ukraine made the decision on the EU deal over a week ago, saying it could not afford to break ties with Moscow. Russia is trying to bring Kiev into its own customs union.

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