Ukraine security forces torch tent holding unarmed tech protesters

Ukraine is in the midst of what can only be described as violent social upheaval, as protesters occupying a central Kiev square have been killed in violent clashes with police last night.

 

The wider political battle — which has seen cities across Ukraine demonstrate in favor of closer ties with the European Union and against closer ties with Russia — has also been widely backed by the technology community there.

 

IT_Namet (in English: the ‘Tent of Informational Technologies’), the organization set up in Maiden Square, has been there since the start, providing Internet access and acting as a focal point for tech people joining the protest. But last night IT_Namet was attacked by security forces and burned overnight.

 

I’ve been in contact with the people running IT_Namet, but while it appears no one from the tech community was actually killed during the attack, tech professional Alexei Lymarenko was, according to colleagues, “beaten nearly to death” and has serious facial trauma. Unfortunately he was with Ukrainian journalist Veremei Vyacheslav who was, tragically, killed in the clashes with police.