Chair of the National Council Olha Herasymiuk took part in the meeting of the Council for Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The meeting was dedicated to freedom of expression, the safety of journalists during the war, the protection of media professionals held in Russian captivity, and countering disinformation.
Human rights defenders, representatives of international organizations and state institutions, as well as foreign diplomats joined the discussion.
Opening the meeting, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mariana Betsa spoke about Russia’s systematic persecution of journalists. This includes abductions, unlawful detentions, torture, isolation from the outside world, fabricated criminal cases, and long-term sentences.
According to her, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 132 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been killed.
“The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna in Russian captivity became a tragic testimony that Russia persecutes journalists precisely for their professional activity and their commitment to telling the truth. The aggressor state must be held accountable for the crimes committed,” stated the Deputy Minister, adding that Ukraine continues to draw international attention to these violations.
The participants of the meeting were also greeted by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu and UNESCO Assistant Director-General Mariya Gabriel, who addressed the audience in a video message. They emphasized the need to protect journalists working in wartime conditions and to improve international mechanisms for responding to violations of freedom of expression and crimes against the media.
In her speech,Olha Herasymiuk reminded: “Freedom of expression and the safety of journalists today are among the key markers of democracy and the resilience of society.”
International institutions increasingly consider crimes against journalists as a threat to democratic order and international security. The Chair of the National Council emphasized that in the annual report “On the Tipping Point: Press Freedom 2025”, presented at the meeting of the Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society, Russian aggression was identified as the most serious threat to journalists in Europe.
Olha Herasymiuk urged international partners not to weaken their attention to the unlawful imprisonment of journalists. These cases must remain in the focus of international organizations, diplomatic negotiations, and human rights institutions. This is important both for securing the release of journalists and for holding Russia accountable for the systematic destruction of independent journalism in the occupied territories.
According to the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, at least 26 Ukrainian journalists are being held in Russian captivity. Among them are 17 natives of occupied Crimea, mostly Crimean Tatars. The majority have been convicted on fabricated charges of “terrorism,” “extremism,” “treason,” or “espionage,” and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 26 years.
Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, reported that the mission continues to document systematic torture, sexual violence, and other gross human rights violations against unlawfully detained Ukrainians. According to her, long-term sentences for journalists, including 26 years of imprisonment for Oleksandr Malyshev, are part of a systemic campaign of persecution.
Chair of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Tetiana Pechonchyk, pointed out that some journalists have been held for years after being abducted, without formal charges. She reminded that the most common sentences in such cases are 12-14 years of imprisonment, during which journalists are kept in inhumane conditions: torture, psychological pressure, punitive isolation cells, denial of medical assistance, restrictions on contact with families, and transfers to remote regions of Russia.
Human rights defender, journalist, and serviceman Maksym Butkevych, who himself experienced Russian captivity, emphasized that the Russian authorities do not distinguish between journalism and propaganda. For them, any independent information is a threat, and journalists working outside the control of state propaganda become targets of persecution. This is especially evident in the occupied territories, where Russia seeks to completely destroy the independent information space.
The meeting also addressed international cooperation in the field of protecting freedom of expression and media resilience. Olha Herasymiuk spoke about projects implemented by the National Council together with partners: support for Ukrainian media initiatives with the participation of UNESCO; the project “Resilience and Wellbeing of Ukrainian Media Professionals at Wartime” (ReWell-UMedia); cooperation with the Council of Europe on anti-SLAPP legislation; training sessions for regional journalists within the campaign “Journalists Matter”; as well as recommendations on media literacy and cybersecurity for the media.
She thanked international partners for their support of Ukrainian journalists and media, and emphasized that the National Council is open to new formats of cooperation.
As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed to issue a joint statement on countering Russian disinformation.
