UWC Vice President honors memory of journalist Victoria Roshchyna on World Press Freedom Day

Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler, UWC Vice President for Southern and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Türkiye, and Lebanon, called for increased support for journalists on World Press Freedom Day observed this year on May 3.

“I join voices around the globe to honour the courage of journalists who risk – and too often lose – their lives in pursuit of truth,” she wrote.

Poshyvaylo-Towler emphasized the importance of safeguarding media freedom and truth. 

She also paid tribute to Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was tortured and killed by Russian forces in captivity due to her reporting on Russia’s war crimes in occupied Ukrainian territories.

“A 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist known for her fearless reporting on Russian war crimes, Victoria was abducted in August 2023 while working in Russian-occupied territories,” she said.

For months, Roshchyna’s family had no information on her whereabouts. On Oct. 10, 2024, news of her death was confirmed.

“She had been tortured and murdered for doing what free media is meant to do: expose the truth,” Poshyvaylo-Towler said.

Roshchyna’s death represents not only a personal tragedy but also a calculated act of censorship through terror.

“Her murder is a war crime. And it is part of a chilling pattern: since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, at least 13 Ukrainian journalists have died for their work,” Poshyvaylo-Towler said.

Meanwhile, Russian propaganda continues to spread unchecked, manipulating public opinion, undermining democracies, and erasing evidence of war crimes.

“Where independent media is crushed, disinformation festers. This is why World Press Freedom Day matters more than ever,” she said. “We must stand up for journalists. For truth. For justice.” 

Press freedom is not only about journalism – it’s about the right of everyone to know the truth, hold power accountable, and combat darkness with light, Poshyvaylo-Towler said.

“We honor Victoria. We demand justice. We will not be silent,” UWC Vice President said.

World Press Freedom Day is observed annually and the May 3 date was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 in response to the Windhoek Declaration in Namibia, which called on governments worldwide to guarantee press freedom and pluralism.