Wiktoria Roszczyna is dead. The journalist was 27 years old
Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinec said on Thursday that he had received it official confirmation of the death of Ukrainian journalist Wiktoria Roszczyna. The 27-year-old was held in a Russian prison. – Once again, a man whose stay in Russian prisons was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross is dying in Russian captivity. It is not known why the young woman died while in Russian captivity, said Lubinec, quoted by the Ukraińska Pravda website. The circumstances of the journalist’s death are unknown. She was supposed to die on September 19.
Roszczyna was a journalist collaborating with, among others, with Ukrainian Truth. The website reports that the 27-year-old was first taken prisoner in March 2022 in Berdyansk, and after a few days the aggressors released her. She remained in the occupied territories, revealing in her reports the brutal face of Russian actions. In July of that year, she went to Poland for a short time, from where she intended – via Russia – to reach the occupied eastern part of Ukraine again. The woman disappeared in August 2023probably in the occupied territories. The Russians confirmed that they were not holding Roszczyna until May 2024.
Ukraine: Roszczyna was on the list of prisoners to be exchanged
On October 10, Ukrainian authorities confirmed Roszczyna’s death in captivity. – Unlawful detentions and kidnappings of journalists are Russia’s weapon in the fight against freedom of speech. Russia has once again violated the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law, said the Ukrainian human rights ombudsman.
As reported by the Suspilne portal, the head of the commission for freedom of speech in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, initially informed, citing information from the Russian side, that Roshchyna died during the “stage”. It’s about prison transport from Taganrog (in the southwest of Russia) to Moscow. However, he later deleted his post on Telegram, writing that this information requires verification and that one should wait for official notification from the Ukrainian authorities.
In an interview with the Suspilne portal, the representative of the military intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), Andriy Yusov, informed that Roszczyna was on the prisoner exchange lists and it was expected that will return to Ukraine soon.
“I don’t know what had to be done for the 27-year-old to die”
Polish journalist Monika Andruszewska, reporting on the war in Ukraine, points out that the 27-year-old had to go through hell in captivity. “The detention center in Taganrog is considered one of the most terrible, where prisoners are subjected to terrible torture. The transport of prisoners and political prisoners from prison to prison also often takes place in terrible conditions and is often recalled by them as one of the worst stages of captivity. But I don’t know what had to be done to a 28-year-old girl to make her die,” Andruszewska, a journalist from “Tygodnik Powszechny”, wrote on Facebook.
Source: Radio ZET/Ukrainska Pravda
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