Ukrainian media calls to establish circumstances of journalist Roshchyna's death in Russian captivity

Ukrainian journalists and media representatives are calling for the investigation of the death of freelance writer Viktoriia Roshchyna and the condition of the 29 Ukrainian journalists currently held in Russian captivity. Ukraine’s Media Movement believes that Roshchyna's death was either the result of a premeditated murder or the consequence of ill-treatment and violence.

Source: statement of the Ukrainian Media Movement

Quote: "We, journalists and media professionals, express our deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of Viktoriia Roshchyna, a brave and talented Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity at just 27 years old. 

Knowing that Viktoriia Roshchyna had been in captivity for over a year and that she was physically healthy before her imprisonment by Russian forces, we have every reason to believe that her death was either the result of intentional murder or the consequence of ill-treatment and violence she suffered while in Russian captivity."

Read Viktoriia Roshchyna's articles on Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Journalists call on their colleagues from Ukrainian, foreign and international media to cover this tragedy and conduct independent investigations into the circumstances of Roshchyna's death.

They call on international organisations "to take urgent action to verify the condition and protect the rights of the 29 civilian Ukrainian journalists currently held in Russian captivity."

In particular, the Media Movement calls on the International Committee of the Red Cross to fulfil its mandate and regularly visit prisoners held by the Russian Federation.

Quote: "The current statute and response of the ICRC do not match the scale of the immense humanitarian crisis caused by Russian aggression. We demand that the ICRC establish monitoring missions in Russian prisons holding Ukrainian journalists and do everything possible to ensure that detainees' basic rights are upheld, and that they are protected from abuse."

Details: The participants also call on the UN to establish an independent commission to investigate the death of the journalist and for the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression to report publicly on the situation of Ukrainian journalists in Russian captivity.

They call on the OSCE to verify the conditions of detention of Ukrainian journalists in Russia and to appoint a special mission led by the Representative on Freedom of the Media to verify the facts of illegal detention, murder and persecution of Ukrainian journalists by Russia.

They also call on the PACE to urgently discuss Russia's systemic violations of journalists' rights, including the case of Roshchyna's murder, and to initiate a special resolution condemning the murder of Ukrainian journalists and calling for sanctions against Russian officials responsible for these crimes.

PACE is also called upon to appoint a special rapporteur to report on Russian crimes against Ukrainian journalists.

The statement is available for signing by media representatives.

All willing to support the family of Viktoriia Roshchina are welcome to do so.

Reference for funds transfer:
Card number: 4149 4991 4394 6851

Recipient: Volodymyr Mykhailovych Roshchyn

Account: 26208888025983

IBAN: UA1730529900000262088880825983

Recipient's bank: JSC CB PrivatBank, Kyiv, Ukraine

Bank code: 305299

Purpose of payment: Charity donation to support the family of Viktoriia Roshchyna

Background:

• Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 in the Russian-occupied territory from where she was reporting.
• In May 2024, Russia admitted for the first time that it had detained Roshchyna. The Russian Ministry of Defence sent a letter of confirmation to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn.
• On 10 October 2024, Petro Yatsenko, the head of the press service of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said during the 24/7 national joint newscast that Viktoriia Roshchyna had died in Russian custody. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said that she was to be brought back to Ukraine in the near future.
• Later, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, said that he had received confirmation of Roshchyna’s death from the Russian side.
• The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that a criminal case opened over the disappearance of Ukrainian freelance writer Viktoriia Roshchyna has been reclassified as a war crime combined with premeditated murder. 

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