Freedom House Calls for Holding Russia Accountable for the Death of Ukrainian Journalist Victoriia Roshchyna

International human rights organization Freedom House has urged the global community to hold Russia fully accountable for the death of Ukrainian journalist VictoriiaRoshchyna. The organization made the statement on X (Twitter).

“We mourn the loss of Ukrainian journalist Victoriia Roshchyna and call on the international community to hold the Russian government fully accountable. Roshchyna’s death highlights not only the systematic violations of basic freedoms faced by Ukrainians under Putin’s regime since the full-scale invasion in 2022 but also the severe danger faced by every Ukrainian journalist unlawfully detained in Russia—there are at least 30 such cases, according to IMI,” the statement read.

Roshchyna was reported to have died in Russian captivity on October 10, 2024. The exact circumstances of her death remain unclear. According to Ukrainian intelligence (HUR), she was supposed to be part of an upcoming prisoner exchange and had been scheduled for transfer to Lefortovo Prison in Moscow to prepare for her return to Ukraine.

Initially reported missing in August 2023 during her trip to Russian-occupied territories, Roshchyna’s captivity was confirmed in May 2024 when Russian authorities acknowledged they were holding her. She was reportedly detained in some of the most notorious Russian prisons, including SIZO No. 2 in Taganrog and a penal colony in occupied Berdyansk, where detainees are subjected to torture.

Following the news of her death, the Ukrainian government classified her case as a war crime under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which addresses violations of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder.

The international organization Reporters Without Borders has also called for a full investigation into the circumstances of Roshchyna’s death. Similarly, the European Union and the US Ambassador to Ukraine expressed their condolences and stressed the need for a thorough, independent inquiry to establish the facts surrounding her death.

Roshchyna’s body was not returned to Ukraine as part of the prisoner exchange that took place on October 18, 2024. Ukrainian officials, including Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Issues, have suggested that Russia might be deliberately delaying the repatriation process to hinder the investigation into her cause of death.

Victoriia Roshchyna, a freelance journalist and contributor to “Ukrainska Pravda,” had been reporting from occupied territories before her disappearance. The case continues to raise concerns over the safety of journalists operating in war zones and the treatment of those detained by Russian forces.