On 22 October, the European Commission urged Russia to stop threatening journalists with criminal cases. The commissioners also called for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian detention, according to Ukrinform.
Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna died in Russian captivity after being held in a pre-trial detention center in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia, and in a detention facility in the occupied city of Berdiansk, where prisoners are subjected to torture.
"It is vital to conduct a thorough and independent investigation as soon as possible to clarify all the circumstances of Viktoria Roshchyna's death, and we will demand that Russia stop abusing its criminal justice system to intimidate journalists and other citizens through politically motivated criminal investigations against them," said European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.
He emphasized that Roshchyna's death in Russian detention is yet another example of Moscow's disregard for all international obligations.
"According to available information, Viktoria died while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog. It was the Russian authorities, and no one else, who bore full responsibility for her safety, health, and physical integrity when they arbitrarily detained her in temporarily occupied territories in August 2023," the commissioner said.
Hoekstra also reminded that the Russian Federal Security Service recently opened criminal cases against journalists covering Ukraine's operations in Kursk Oblast.
According to Reporters Without Borders, over 100 journalists have fallen victim to Russian crimes since the start of the all-out war in Ukraine. Among them, some 35 were injured and 12 detained. In territories temporarily occupied by Russia, 233 media outlets have been shut down.
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