Ukrainian media leaders have called for international institutions to investigate the tragic death Viktoria Rosahchyna and ensure the safety of journalists held in captivity.
In a statement released by The Institute of Mass Information, top Ukrainian media organizations expressed condolences for the family and friends of Viktoria Rosahchyna (27), a Ukrainian journalist that died in Russian captivity.
Editor-in Chief at Euromaidan Press Alya Shadra, Editor in Chief of Ukrainska Pravda Sevgil Musaieva and Editor-in chief of Hromadske Khrystyna Kotsyra, as well as other media professionals representing over 17 Ukrainian media outlets and human right organizations, have called upon Ukrainian, foreign and international media to bring attention to this tragedy and conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Roshchyna’s death.
Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 while traveling to the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. The journalist had left Ukraine for Poland a month earlier and was supposed reach the occupied eastern Ukraine via Russia in three days.
In 2024, Russia will confirm for the first time its illegal possession of Roshchyna.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn announced on 10 October that Viktoria’s father had received notification of her death, which occurred on 19 September.
According to official information provided by Russian authorities, her death occurred during a transfer of a Taganrog detention facility to a Moscow prison.
In a statement, Ukrainian journalists urged their colleagues in the Ukrainian, foreign and international media to bring attention to this tragedy and conduct independent investigations into Viktoria’s death. They also urged them to help inform the world of the fate of Ukrainian reporters currently held in Russian captivity.
Ukraine’s media professionals claim that international institutions mandated with protecting human rights must act immediately and decisively.
Ukrainian media outlets added: “We call on the international organizations to take immediate action to verify the conditions and protect the rights 29 civilian Ukrainian journalists who are currently held in Russian captivity.”
The Ukrainian journalists called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit regularly prisoners, especially civilians held in Russian-occupied Ukrainian or Russian territory.
They also called upon the United Nations to create an independent commission to conduct an investigation into the death of Viktoria Rochchyna.
Media organizations have added that freedom of expression is the cornerstone to any democracy.
The statement said that “When journalists are illegally detained, this is not only a personal attack but also an attack on everyone’s right to receive and express information without censorship.”
They called on “all those who hold democratic values dear to unite and defend these principles, as well as seek justice for the Ukrainian journalists wrongfully detained by Russia.”
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