JournalismPakistan.com | Published May 31, 2024
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK—Russian authorities must immediately release Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina and end the practice of illegally detaining Ukrainian journalists in occupied territories, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
"CPJ strongly denounces Russian authorities' detention of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who went missing 300 days ago while reporting in Russian-occupied Ukraine," said Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. "Russian authorities must immediately release Roshchina and stop detaining Ukrainian nationals. Journalists must be able to freely report on the war without fear of reprisal. Ukrainian authorities should include Ukrainian journalists captured by Russia in prisoner exchange plans to bring them home to safety."
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed in an April 17 letter to Roshchina's father that the journalist was detained and "currently in the territory of the Russian Federation," according to a May 27 report by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), a local advocacy and trade group.
"The most important is that Russia has officially recognized its responsibility for Viktoria's fate. We all need to make great efforts to see our colleague free. But this confirmation gives us a chance," NUJU’s head Sergiy Tomilenko told CPJ.
Roshchina’s detention was later confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which told her father that there was currently no access to her, NUJU reported.
Roshchina is a freelance reporter who has been covering the war in Ukraine for several Ukrainian media outlets, including independent Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda, regional news website Novosti Donbassa, and privately owned news website Censor.net. She went missing on August 3, 2023, when she traveled to the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine to report on the situation there.
In March 2022, Roshchina was detained by Russian forces for 10 days while reporting in southeastern Ukraine. That same month, Russian forces in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region fired on her vehicle.
CPJ’s emails to the Russian Ministry of Defense and the International Committee of the Red Cross about Roshchina did not receive an immediate response.
Multiple Ukrainian journalists have been detained in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. The whereabouts of former journalist Iryna Levchenko, missing since early May 2023, of journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, detained in early March 2022, and of journalists Heorhiy Levchenko and Anastasiya Glukhovska, detained in August 2023, are still unknown.
Russia was the world’s fourth-worst jailer of journalists in CPJ's 2023 prison census, with at least 22 journalists behind bars as of December 1. - A CPJ statement/Photo courtesy Hromadske
March 16, 2025: The Trump administration has ordered furloughs at U.S.-funded broadcasters, including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia, raising concerns about press freedom and government control over media funding.
March 08, 2025: Senior UK TV producers are taking shelf-stacking and pub jobs as the industry faces a prolonged crisis. Thousands are unemployed, with freelancers struggling to find work. Learn more about the factors behind this collapse.
February 28, 2025: CPJ urges Russian authorities to drop charges against journalist Ekaterina Barabash, who faces up to 10 years in jail for criticizing the Ukraine invasion. Learn how fake news laws are being used to silence dissenting voices in Russia.
February 21, 2025: Ghanaian authorities must investigate the attack on five journalists covering Ashanti Region elections. CPJ urges accountability to ensure press freedom and safety.
February 07, 2025: Mozambican journalist Albino Sibia was killed while filming police brutality, and reporter Pedro Junior was shot covering his funeral. Arlindo Chissale remains missing. These attacks highlight the dire state of press freedom in Mozambique amid post-election unrest.
February 04, 2025: Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has opened a criminal case for disclosure of state secrets following Ukrainska Pravda’s report on statements by military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. CPJ urges authorities to respect press freedom and journalist protections.
February 02, 2025: Journalist Alejandro Gallegos Leon was found dead in Tabasco, Mexico after being reported missing. CPJ urges authorities to swiftly investigate and address the ongoing violence against journalists.
January 29, 2025: The Trump Administration is revamping White House press access by inviting podcasters, influencers, and independent journalists to the briefing room. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlights the need to adapt to modern media consumption.
March 24, 2025 Who will be responsible if my sons are harmed?" cries a mother in Islamabad High Court, pleading for justice after her sons' alleged abduction. The court summons the IG police over the alleged kidnapping. The family claims intelligence agencies are involved.
March 24, 2025 Explore the 10 critical reasons why Pakistan's legacy media continues to disappoint, from political bias and corporate influence to digital transition failures and unsustainable business models in Pakistani journalism.
March 23, 2025 The severed pig’s head sent to Indonesia’s leading news outlet, Tempo, signals escalating media intimidation amid President Prabowo Subianto’s attacks on foreign-funded media.
March 22, 2025 The arrest of journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick under PECA violations has sparked concerns over press freedom in Pakistan. Digital rights activists warn of increasing state suppression.
March 21, 2025 Geo Group’s security guards allegedly led an assault on protesting journalists in Islamabad, dismantling their camp and threatening them. The hypocrisy of a media giant advocating press freedom while suppressing its workers is exposed.