UNESCO insists on thorough investigation into the death of journalist Victoria Roshchina

The international organization UNESCO has confirmed that it insists on a transparent and thorough investigation into the tragic death in russian captivity of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina.

This was announced by UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Tawfiq Djelassi in response to an appeal from the National Council and the National Committee of IFAP.

The Assistant Director-General emphasized that UNESCO has called for an investigation into the circumstances of the death of the Ukrainian journalist. “The organization remains committed to protecting the rights of journalists and adhering to the principles enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2222, which emphasizes the protection of journalists in conflict zones as civilians,” the letter says.

Tawfiq Djelassi assured that UNESCO will continue to make efforts to protect journalists in all corners of the world and demand justice for those who suffered in the performance of their duties.

For your information, the letter of the Deputy Director-General of the organization was a response to the repeated appeals of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to UNESCO and the active work of the Ukrainian delegation at the 34^th session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Program for the Development of Communications (November 21-22, 2024) within the framework of the discussion of the report of the UNESCO Director-General on the safety of journalists.

As earlier reported, the Head of the National Council and the National Committee of IFAP of Ukraine, Olha Herasimiyuk, conveyed to UNESCO an appeal to demand an investigation into the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina, who was kidnapped in the temporarily occupied territory and killed in russia.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also responded to the appeal and called for an investigation. She expressed her regret over the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina in russian captivity and called for a transparent investigation into this tragic event, emphasizing that the safety of journalists in conflict zones must remain a priority for the international community.

Ukrainian freelance journalist and laureate of the 2022 Courage in Journalism Award, Victoria Roshchina, went missing on August 3, 2023, during a trip to the occupied territories. Information about her death was confirmed on October 10, 2024. It is known that Victoria Roshchina was being prepared for an exchange; in particular, she was being transferred from Taganrog to Moscow, which was “a stage of her preparation for release.”