OSCE Rep on Freedom of Media condemns cruel treatment and murder of Ukrainian journalist Roshchyna

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ian Bratu condemned the cruel treatment and murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna. The corresponding post was posted on the official page of the OSCE representative on the X social network.

"I am appalled by the evidence emerging from the investigation by the coalition of 45 international journalists led by the Forbidden Stories NGO into torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died while unlawfully detained without formal charges in Russia," he said.

In his assessment, this inhuman treatment is a violation of international law, including Articles 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the United Nations Convention against Torture.

"Furthermore, journalists covering conflicts have civilian status under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and their torture and ill-treatment as well as unlawful confinement is in clear breach of the Geneva Conventions (Articles 32 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention)," he added.

"I condemn these grave violations by the Russian Federation and call for full compliance with international legal obligations," the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media said.

In turn, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Heorhiy Tykhy expressed gratitude to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media for its clear position condemning Roshchyna's murder.

"Grateful to OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ian Bratu for this clear statement condemning the ill-treatment and brutal murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna. Russia's systematic torture, ill-treatment, and other violations of international humanitarian law require a strong international response," he said on the X social network on Wednesday.

As reported with reference to the investigation by the international organization Forbidden Stories, Russia returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in captivity, without some internal organs, presumably in order to hide the cause of her death.

The investigative team confirmed that the body was brought to the territory of Ukraine already with signs of an autopsy performed in Russia. According to journalistic sources in law enforcement agencies, parts of Viktoria's brain, eyeballs and larynx were missing.

An expert pathologist believes that the lack of these organs may hide the true cause of the journalist's death: strangulation or suffocation. These actions by Moscow can be qualified as a war crime.