Statement regarding murder of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna

We, journalists and media professionals, express our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Viktoria Roshchyna, a young, brave and talented Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity. She was only 27 years old.

Knowing that Viktoria Roshchyna was in prison for over a year and that she was physically healthy before her Russian capture, we have every reason to believe that her death was either the result of intentional homicide or the result of the ill-treatment and violence she suffered during her stay in Russian captivity.

Viktoria Roshchyna was detained on August 3, 2023 in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, where she was carrying out her journalistic work, planning to report on the lives of people under occupation. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, her death occurred on September 19, 2024.

We call on our colleagues from the Ukrainian, foreign and international media to cover this tragedy, conduct independent investigations into the circumstances of Victoria's death, and help tell the world about the fate of Ukrainian journalists who are currently in Russian captivity.

International institutions with mandates to protect human rights must act decisively and immediately. We call on international organizations to take urgent measures to check the condition and protect the rights of 29 civilian Ukrainian journalists who are currently in captivity in the Russian Federation.

We call on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to fully fulfill its mandate and regularly visit prisoners, especially civilians, held by the Russian Federation in the occupied territories of Ukraine or in Russian territories. We believe that currently the charter and activities of the ICRC do not meet the requirements and scope of the colossal humanitarian crisis caused by Russian aggression. We call on the ICRC to immediately organize permanent missions to monitor the prisons of the Russian Federation, where Ukrainian journalists are held, and to make every effort to guarantee the prisoners' basic rights and protection from ill-treatment.

We call on the UN to involve its structures, such as the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and to create an independent commission to investigate the death of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna. We call on the UN Special Rapporteur on the issue of freedom of speech to publicly report on the situation with Ukrainian journalists in Russian captivity, as well as on other crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian media and journalists.

We call on the OSCE to use its human rights monitoring tools to urgently check the conditions of detention of Ukrainian journalists in the Russian Federation. We call on the OSCE to appoint a special mission under the leadership of the Representative on Freedom of the Media to verify the facts related to the illegal detentions, killings, and persecution of Ukrainian journalists by Russia.

We call on the PACE to hold an urgent debate on Russia's systematic violations of journalists' rights, in particular the case of the murder of Viktoria Roshchyna, and to initiate a special resolution that condemns the murder of Ukrainian journalists and calls for sanctions against Russian officials responsible for these crimes. We also call on the PACE to appoint a special rapporteur to report on Russian crimes against Ukrainian journalists and threats to journalists' safety caused by Russian aggression.

Freedom of speech is the basis of any democracy. When journalists are illegally detained, it is not just an attack on them personally, it is a blow to everyone's right to express themselves freely and receive information without censorship. We appeal to all who believe in democratic values to unite in order to protect these principles and achieve justice and the return from captivity of Ukrainian journalists illegally detained by the Russian Federation.

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Reference for the transfer of funds to support the family of Viktoria Roshchyna:

• Recipient: Volodymyr Mykhailovych Roshchyn
• Account: 26208888025983
• IBAN: UA173052990000026208888025983
• Recipient's bank: JSC CB PrivatBank, Kyiv, Ukraine
• Tax code of the recipient: 2242108198
• Purpose of payment: Charitable contribution to support the family of Viktoria Roshchyna