“Do we really have to wait for them to die before we can act?” Reporters Without Borders holds protest in support of imprisoned Ukrainian journalists

To condemn these arbitrary imprisonments of Ukrainian journalists in russia and demand their immediate release, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) held a protest in central Paris on Thursday, February 20, at Place de la République.

The RWB demands the immediate release of the 19 Ukrainian journalists arbitrarily imprisoned by the Kremlin (according to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), at least 30 journalists are in russian captivity, – Ed.), as well as an explanation for Ukrainian reporter Victoria Roshchina, who was declared dead on September 19, 2024, and whose body has still not been returned to her family.

Twenty coffins were displayed: one closed for Victoria Roshchina, who was declared dead by the russian ministry of defense in a single letter sent to her family while she was imprisoned by russia, and 19 open ones for Ukrainian reporters imprisoned in russian prisons. A banner was unfurled: “A Ukrainian journalist died in a russian prison. Nineteen others are still imprisoned there. Should we wait for them to die before we act?” “Where is the body of Victoria Roshchina, who was declared dead by russia?” asks Thibaut Bruttin, RWB’s CEO. “Should we wait until the 19 other Ukrainian journalists held hostage by the russian federation are dead before the apathy stops? With the international community virtually indifferent, russia is brutally repressing independent journalists in the Ukrainian territories it occupies. Nineteen reporters languish in Kremlin prisons, suffering torture and isolation, some for nearly a decade. The tragedy of Victoria Roshchina, still shrouded in shadow, is a chilling reminder that to be detained by russia is to risk dying behind bars. We must not forget them. Their release is an absolute emergency, and russia must be held accountable for these crimes.”

Most of the Ukrainian journalist prisoners were arrested in the occupied Ukrainian territories after 2014 and 2022 for refusing to cooperate with the Kremlin and are now being held by russia. They are being convicted on false charges of “terrorism” or “espionage.” While the Kremlin refuses to disclose the fate of several journalists arrested after the large-scale invasion in 2022, several RWB investigations have tracked their whereabouts.

The release of Ukrainian journalists is a priority for RWB in its work to support press freedom in Ukraine. During the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Malta in December 2024, RWB already called on member states to take steps to secure their release.