merrion street

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, TD, made the following statement about last night's events in Kiev:

“I have been following the unfolding events in Ukraine with growing concern and in particular the actions by the Ukrainian police to break up the peaceful protest of citizens in Kiev.

“I am also very concerned at reports that the offices of a leading opposition party have been raided by the security services and computer servers taken away. The rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and are fundamental in any society. I strongly believe that these rights should be fully respected by the Ukrainian authorities and would expect nothing less from the current holder of the Chairmanship-in-Office of the OSCE.

“I call again on the authorities to exercise restraint, respect peaceful protest and ensure that all avenues of dialogue are kept open.”