Journalists from Zaporizhzhia sign Letter-Appeal in support of their captured colleagues

Support for imprisoned Ukrainian journalists was the leitmotif of the event dedicated to World Press Freedom Day, which was held by the Zaporizhzhia Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). Among the Ukrainian media workers who are currently in russian captivity are three from Melitopol: Iryna Levchenko, Anastasiya Hlukhovska, and Heorhii Levchenko. Although the conversation in Zaporizhzhia was serious and thorough, the atmosphere of the event was surprisingly emotional and warm, the word “solidarity” was perceived by everyone as a spiritual category.

The participants of the event – 35 media representatives of regional publications – displaced journalists and students of the faculty of journalism accepted and signed the Letter-Appeal in support of the captured colleagues, addressing it to the NUJU, the European Federation of Journalists, international institutions, and the Ukrainian authorities, with a call to consolidate efforts, to increase pressure on russia to release our illegally captured colleagues.

The Letter-Appeal was also signed by the speakers of the event, Mykhailo Volkov, a representative of the Commissioner of the Supreme Council of Ukraine on Human Rights in the Zaporizhzhia Region; Olena Orieshkina, the regional coordinator of the representative office of the Commissioner on Issues of Persons Disappeared Under Special Circumstances in the Zaporizhzhia Region / head of the Ehida-Zaporizhzhia human rights organization engaged in the search for the missing and captured persons, Antonina Shostak; and Nataliya Pryima, a specialist of the service for the search and release of kidnapped residents of the city of Melitopol and the Melitopol District.

“We declare that we will use all possible means to bring closer the moment when we will be able to congratulate our colleagues (and there are 28 of them today) on their freedom. They are hostages of the Kremlin, and they are journalists from Zaporizhzhia: Iryna Levchenko, Anastasiya Hlukhovska, and Heorhii Levchenko. They are suffering in captivity. Journalism is a worthy profession that should be supported all over the world. We strongly support our colleagues, protecting freedom of speech and people’s right to receive information. In times of war, journalism is more important than ever. Journalists are documenting war crimes, and together, we are all approaching the moment of justice, the punishment of the great evil that (we believe temporarily) has been unleashed today. We are with you, dear colleagues, we remember you, we are fighting for your release, and we believe in victory!” says the Letter-Appeal of Zaporizhzhia journalists.

Call the Zaporizhzhia JSC at 096 277 5352 (Nataliya Kuzmenko and Valentyna Manzhura, the Zaporizhzhia JSC coordinators). The Center’s address is 152 Sobornyi Avenue.

ABOUT JSC

The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

ABOUT UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Valentyna Bystrova

Photo by Ihor Lavrov