Ukrainian journalist Roshchyna posthumously named Press Freedom Hero
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, has been posthumously honored as a "Press Freedom Hero" by the International Press Institute (IPI), the organization announced on its website on Oct. 9.
The award recognizes journalists who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to press freedom.
The IPI said Roshchyna's death on Sept. 19, 2024 "exposed the brutal treatment suffered by the dozens of Ukrainian journalists unjustly held by Russian authorities, and brought new urgency to the need to protect the press and secure accountability for attacks on journalists."
Roshchyna, a reporter for Ukrainian media outlets, was first captured by Russian forces in March 2022 and held for 10 days in the city of Berdyansk in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast. As a condition of her release in 2022, she was forced to record a video saying Russian forces had saved her life.
Roshchyna covered occupied territories, including Crimea and Donetsk, and documented the destruction in Mariupol. She disappeared on Aug. 3, 2023, while reporting from Russian-occupied territory.
Russia confirmed her detention in May 2024 and delayed the return of her body until February 2025, which bore evidence of torture and severe mistreatment, including bruises, broken ribs, and signs of electrocution.
Roshchyna is among several journalists recognized this year by the IPI, including Georgian opposition media co-founder Mzia Amaglobeli, former Washington Post and Boston Globe editor Martin Baron, Palestinian photojournalist Mariam Abu Dagga (posthumously), Peruvian investigative journalist Gustavo Gorriti, Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai, and Ethiopian editor Tesfalem Valdes.
Roshchyna's name was also included on a memorial unveiled Oct. 9 in Bayeux, France, honoring 73 journalists killed between June 1, 2024, and June 1, 2025, during the course of their work.
The marble stele, erected during the 32nd Bayeux-Calvados War Correspondents Awards ceremony, pays special tribute to journalists killed in Gaza, including Roshchyna.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) Director-General Thibaut Bruttin said the memorial commemorates journalists slain while reporting on conflicts and human rights abuses worldwide, from Ukraine to Mexico to Palestine.
"This is where hatred of journalists and discrediting the press lead. This can not be a licence to kill. The Bayeux Memorial is a unique place in the world. It reminds us that press freedom is neither given nor guaranteed — it is won," Bruttin said.
