Ukraine demands the release of journalists held captive by Russia / Article

According to information provided by Ukraine, 26 Ukrainian journalists are currently in Russian captivity.

Journalists do a very important job

The Ukrainian parliament has approved a call to international organizations and foreign parliaments to activate international and national opportunities to exert pressure and achieve the release of illegally detained journalists in Russian captivity.

“This is a resolution about Vlad Yesipenko – journalist of “Radio Brivība”, “Crimea Reality”, who has been imprisoned by Putin’s regime for the third year. This is a law about Irina Danilovich, who is actually dying in prison at the moment, because she is not given medical help. This is the bill on Nariman Djeljala, this is the bill on Dima Hilyuk – an employee of “UNIAN”, about whom we got information only recently, even though he was taken prisoner during the occupation of Kyiv region. And there are a lot of such surnames,” the Supreme Rada of Ukraine reports deputy Jaroslavs Jurčišin from the “Voice” faction.

This resolution was supported by an overwhelming majority of deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – a total of 293 people’s servants.

“Journalists do a very important job – they speak the truth and shed light, including the crimes of the aggressor Russia, so Russia perceives it as a threat.

The purpose of this resolution is to activate the efforts of the international community and organizations, as well as the efforts of the governments of various countries to recover journalists and, in general, all illegally detained people who are currently in Russian captivity,” emphasizes MP Oleksandrs Merezhko from the ruling “Servant of the People” party.

Journalists and public activists have been taken prisoner since the first phase of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. In Ukraine, there has been a positive experience when, despite huge international pressure on Russia, they manage to release a person.

For example, it happened with the director Oleg Sentsova, who managed to be released in 2019 after the involvement of many international organizations. After the full-scale invasion began, Sentsov joined the Ukrainian armed forces and is currently at war.

Russia is targeting journalists

With this resolution, the Ukrainian parliament is now again appealing to all major international organizations, recommending the UN, and asking to exert pressure in an attempt to get the detained journalists released from captivity. To date, no media personnel have been released as part of any prisoner exchange.

So far, 49 prisoner exchange operations have taken place between Russia and Ukraine, as a result of which almost 3,000 people have returned to Ukraine. Most of them are soldiers, and 147 are civilians.

According to Ukrainian officials, at least 8,000 people are currently in captivity, including 1,600 civilians. Russia violates the norms of international law by holding captive not only soldiers, but also civilians, including journalists.

Also, Russia violates any international norms by shooting and especially targeting media workers.

According to the National Union of Journalists, 86 media workers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. These are journalists, TV operators, photographers, editors and others. Of them, 61 were those who entered the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces and fell in the battles for a free Ukraine.