EU reacts to news of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna's death in Russian captivity

The European Union has expressed its outrage over the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna in Russian captivity. 

Source: press service of the European External Action Service, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "The European Union is appalled by the reports about the death of Ukrainian freelance journalist [Viktoriia] Roshchyna while in illegal arbitrary Russian detention. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues."

Details: The EU statement highlighted Viktoriia Roshchyna’s courage and renowned work as a journalist and noted the circumstances of her death as far as is currently known – that she died while being transferred from a prison in Taganrog to Moscow. 

"Her fate is a tragic reminder of the many thousands of persons detained in occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia, as well as the repression imposed by Russian authorities, also in Russia," the statement said.

The statement stressed that Russia is fully responsible for the fate of the journalist after she was detained in the temporarily occupied territories.

Read Viktoriia Roshchyna's articles on Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "She is the thirteenth journalist to be killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EU demands a thorough and independent investigation that clarifies all the circumstances of [Viktoriia] Roshchyna’s death as soon as possible.

The EU remains deeply concerned about Russia's ongoing harassment, intimidation and violence against journalists and media workers covering war zones... There can be no impunity for human rights violations and abuses against journalists. The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine."

Background:

• Viktoriia Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 while reporting from Russian-occupied territory.
• It was not until May 2024 that Russia admitted to having detained Roshchyna. The Russian Defence Ministry sent a letter confirming this 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. Shortly afterwards this was confirmed by Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights.
• The Office of the Prosecutor General announced that a criminal case opened in connection with Roshchyna’s disappearance has been reclassified as a war crime combined with premeditated murder. 

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