OSCE condemns Viktoria Roshchyna's murder by Russia

Jan Baarthu, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, condemned the ill-treatment and murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna by Russia in a post on X.

"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 wrote.

Jan Baarthu added that this inhuman treatment is in violation of international law, including article 7 and 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN 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 remarked.

@OSCE_RFoM's statement regarding the evidence emerging into the torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died while unlawfully detained without formal charges in Russia.@FbdnStories pic.twitter.com/UaJmAhWeY4

— OSCE media freedom (@OSCE_RFoM) April 30, 2025

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

On April 29, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhyi, called for an international response to the findgins of the journalist investigation into the murder of Ukrainian reporter Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian custody.

On April 30, the European Commission stated that the latest details of how Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was killed in Russian captivity are further evidence of the cruelty of the Russian system and evidence that the occupation is a deadly threat to Ukrainians.

Victoria Roshchyna's death

On April 24, Yuriy Belousov, chair of the War Department at the Prosecutor General's Office, said that the forensic medical examination had failed to identify the causes of death of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who died in Russian custody, due to the body's state. However, numerous signs of torture were found on Viktoria's body.

It was reported on April 24 that the body of Victoria Roshchyna had been brought back to Ukraine in late February this year. She was identified through DNA testing.

The investigation “Viktoriia Project”, which was released by Ukrainska Pravda in partnership with Forbidden Stories and multiple international media outlets on April 29, found that Russia had handed over to Ukraine the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, which was listed in the documents as an “unidentified male” and had a single label of unclear meaning: SPAS. During the examination, it turned out that some internal organs were missing from the body. In particular, the brain, eyeballs, and part of the trachea.

The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian detention was reported on October 10, 2024. Petro Yatsenko of the Coordinating Headquarters for POW Treatment confirmed reports of Viktoria Roshchyna's death.

Viktoria Roshchyna's name was on the swap lists, according to Defense Intelligence representative Andriy Yusov.

Russia earlier admitted detaining Viktoria Roshchyna, who went missing on August 3, 2023 in the temporarily occupied territory. Viktoria was held captive in Russia.

Slidstvo.Info discovered that Victoria Roshchyna was brutally tortured in Russian custody: there were stab wounds on her body, the journalist weighed under 30 kilograms, and Russian prison officers hid her from checks.