THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
“I know how difficult it is there, but freedom is coming soon! Hold on!” Liudmyla Huseinova, who herself went through russian captivity, addressed this appeal to the captured journalist Viktoria Roshchina…
On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated on May 3, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) held an event in support of imprisoned journalists at the Kyiv Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) with the participation of former captive media workers Lyudmila Huseinova, Oleksandr Hunko, the wife of Serhiy Tsyhipa, illegally imprisoned by russia – Olena Tsyhipa, a journalist from Volnovakha Lidiya Tarash, who was persecuted by the occupiers, and other colleagues.
More than 30 Ukrainian journalists are in captivity as a result of illegal detentions, captures, false accusations, and falsified “trials” of the russian occupiers in the territory of Ukraine.
It is known for certain that some of them are subjected to torture threats and are kept in inhumane conditions. There is no information about some of them since the moment of their kidnapping.
“Solidarity with journalists held in russian captivity is a key message we are sending to the world on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. We demand that russia immediately release colleagues and appeal to the countries of the world and international organizations to increase pressure on the russian regime in order to achieve this goal!” emphasizes the President of the NUJU, Sergiy Tomilenko.
In recent weeks, the NUJU has been holding solidarity events with captured colleagues in various cities of Ukraine. In particular, a large-scale event was held at the initiative of the NUJU‘s JSC in Zaporizhzhia. As the participants in the event emphasized, for many of them, the russian crimes became a difficult personal tragedy because the captured journalists from Melitopol and other cities of the 70%-occupied Zaporizhzhia Region are their relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances.
The Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons and Populations in Time of War (dated August 12, 1949) provides for the fact that violence against life and person, in particular, all types of murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture “are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place.” It is also forbidden to take hostages and insult human dignity. Taking civilians as hostages, in accordance with clauses viii) Item b) Section 2 of Article 8 of the Rome Statute is a war crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. In Ukraine, violation of humanitarian law norms against the civilian population can also be qualified as a war crime (Article 438 of the Penal Code of Ukraine).
The European Federation of Journalists insists on the observance of the principle of freedom of speech and human rights for media workers. The EFJ emphasizes the importance of implementing Recommendation 2016/4 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists.
The NUJU, which is a partner organization of the EFJ, declares its solidarity with every journalist held captive by the occupiers.
We call on the governments of democratic countries and international organizations to express solidarity with the captured journalists and to strengthen measures of a diplomatic and sanctions nature in order to force the russian regime to immediately release all Ukrainian media persons who are being held captive. As a first step, joint efforts must be made to establish the whereabouts of all Ukrainian journalists who have gone missing in the occupied territory.
Journalism is not a crime! Journalists are important!
NUJU Information Service
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