Ukrainian journalists publish official statement urging international organizations to take urgent action over the killing of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian captivity

October 13, 2024.

    On Friday, October 11, the Institute of Mass Information reported the news.
    "Knowing that Viktoria Roshchyna had been held captive for over a year and was physically healthy before her detention by Russia, we have every reason to believe that her death was either the result of intentional killing or caused by mistreatment and violence she endured during her captivity," the statement reads.
    
    Journalists have called on the UN, OSCE, PACE, and the ICRC to take active measures. They emphasized that institutions empowered to protect human rights must act decisively and without delay. In particular, media professionals demand that international organizations take urgent steps to monitor the condition and protect the rights of 29 Ukrainian journalists currently held in Russian captivity.
    
    The EU reacts to the death of Viktoria Roshchyna: Calls for an independent investigation
    
    Journalists have also appealed to their colleagues in Ukrainian, foreign, and international media to report on this tragedy, conduct independent investigations into the circumstances of Viktoria Roshchyna's death, and raise awareness about the fate of Ukrainian journalists held in Russian captivity.
    
    The journalists urged:
    
    The ICRC to act within its mandate and regularly visit detainees, especially civilians, held by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine or on Russian soil.
    The UN to involve bodies such as the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and establish an independent commission to investigate the journalist’s death.
    The OSCE to deploy its human rights monitoring tools for an urgent review of the conditions under which Ukrainian journalists are being held in Russia.
    PACE to hold urgent debates on Russia’s systemic violations of journalists’ rights, especially the killing of Viktoria Roshchyna, and initiate a special resolution condemning the murder of Ukrainian journalists while calling for sanctions against Russian officials responsible for these crimes.
    On October 10, Viktoria Roshchyna’s father confirmed receiving the news of her death. According to the Russian side, Roshchyna died on September 19, 2024. She would have turned 28 on October 6.
    
    Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), stated that Viktoria Roshchyna had been listed for a prisoner exchange. Yusov emphasized that her release had been agreed upon, and she was reportedly transferred to Lefortovo prison in preparation for her return home.
    
    The prosecutor's office has classified her disappearance as a war crime combined with intentional murder.
    
    Tatiana Katrychenko, executive director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, revealed that Russia had detained Roshchyna in Taganrog’s pre-trial detention center and in a correctional facility in occupied Berdyansk. Ukrainian detainees freed from these facilities reported severe torture by Russian forces.
    
    According to Roshchyna’s father, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed her capture by Russian forces. He also mentioned that the family had been informed about many “frozen” Ukrainian prisoners in Russian jails, among whom Viktoria might have been held.