OSCE condemns Russia's murder of Ukrainian journalist Vikoriia Roshchyna
Jan Braathu, representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Freedom of the Media, has condemned the brutal treatment and murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna by Russia.
Source: European Pravda; Jan Braathu on X (Twitter)
Details: Braathu said he was "appalled by the evidence emerging from the investigation by the coalition of 45 international journalists led by the Forbidden Stories NGO into torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died while unlawfully detained without formal charges in Russia."
The representative of OSCE stressed that such inhumane treatment is a violation of international law, in particular Articles 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Convention against Torture.
"Furthermore, journalists covering conflicts have civilian status under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and their torture and ill-treatment as well as unlawful confinement is in clear breach of the Geneva Conventions (Articles 32 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention)," Braathu said.
Therefore, the OSCE representative condemned Russia's serious violations and called for full compliance with international legal obligations.
For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi thanked the OSCE for this clear statement condemning the ill-treatment and murder of Viktoriia Roshchyna.
"I condemn these grave abuses by the Russian Federation and call for full compliance with international legal obligations," Braathu concluded.
Background:
- Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 in the temporary occupied territory she was reporting from. Russia admitted for the first time in May 2024 that they had detained Roshchyna.
- On 10 October, Petro Yatsenko, the head of the press service for the coordination headquarters, said on the national joint 24/7 newscast that Viktoriia had died in captivity. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, soon confirmed this.
- On 30 April 2025, the European Commission stated that the latest details of the death of Roshchyna in Russian captivity are further proof of the cruelty of the Russian system and evidence that the occupation is a deadly threat to Ukrainians.
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