THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
The 2024 Reporters Without Borders report shows an alarming increase in attacks on journalists, especially in war zones and other conflicts. In 2024, a total of 54 journalists were killed worldwide for their journalistic work, the Krym.Realii website reports, citing a report by the international organization Reporters Without Borders.
According to the report, 31 out of 54 journalists were killed in war zones while covering events in conflict zones – in Ukraine, Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar, and Gaza. This number has reached a five-year high (57.4%).
“Journalists don’t die; they’re killed; they don’t sit in prison; regimes imprison them; they don’t disappear; they’re kidnapped. These crimes – often carried out with complete impunity by governments and armed groups – violate international law and too often go unpunished. We must continue counting remind ourselves as citizens that journalists are dying for us to keep us informed. We must continue to count, name, condemn, investigate, and ensure justice. Fatalism must never win. Protecting those who inform us means protecting the truth,” said Reporters Without Borders Director General Thibaut Bruttin.
Gaza stands out as the most dangerous region in the world, with the highest number of journalists killed in connection with their work over the past five years. In 2024, the Gaza Strip accounted for almost 30% of journalists killed in the line of duty, the Organization said, calling for urgent action to protect journalists and journalism.
According to the NUJU, in Ukraine, over the years of the war waged by russia, more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been killed, including 18 journalists, while performing their professional duties.
The Reporters Without Borders report also records an increase in the number of detained journalists this year by 7.2%. This is largely due to the arrests of journalists in russia (+8) and Israel (+17).
In February 2024, Reporters Without Borders reported that more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists accredited in Ukraine have suffered since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion.
In early January, the NUJU and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demanded the release of Ukrainian journalists persecuted by russia in the occupied territories. The list includes Amet Suleymanov, Asan Akhtemov, Dmytro Khyliuk, Ernes Ametov, Iryna Danilovich, Iryna Levchenko, Marlen Asanov, Remzi Bekirov, Rustem Sheykhaliyev, Serhii Tsyhipa, Server Mustafayev, Seyran Saliyev, Timur Ibragimov, and freelancer of the Krym.Realii website Vladyslav Yesypenko.
On March 10, 2021, Yesypenko was detained in Crimea. The russian authorities accused the journalist of collecting information “in favor of the Ukrainian special services” and of possessing a “homemade explosive device.” As a result, Yesypenko was sentenced to five years in prison in a general regime colony and a fine of RUB 110,000. The russian prosecution demanded 11 years in prison for Yesypenko.
Yesypenko himself claims that russian security forces tortured him, including with electricity, in order to extract testimony.
The NUJU has consistently called for the release of all Ukrainian journalists, including Vladyslav Yesypenko. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called Yesypenko’s sentence “politically motivated.” The U.S. Department of State has also condemned Yesypenko’s sentence, calling it “yet another example of abuses by the russian occupation authorities in Crimea.”
NUJU Information Service
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