A Flashmob Organized by the IJC in Front of the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Pay Tribute to Journalists Who Lost Their Lives in Ukraine
On May 3, the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) organized a flashmob in front of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the context of World Press Freedom Day, to commemorate the journalists killed in Ukraine. For several minutes, the event participants demonstrated photos of the dead and the message, “Killing journalists will not conceal the horrors of war.”
“We consider that cases when journalists are arrested, detained, tortured, or deliberately killed can be qualified as war crimes. Those responsible for war crimes should be held liable in accordance with national and international legislation. We have come to the Embassy of the Russian Federation because we firmly say that it is an abuse against freedom of the press and against freedom in Ukraine,” Nadine Gogu, IJC Executive Director, declared.
Nadine Gogu emphasizes that, in the Republic of Moldova, journalists also face a number of problems, such as the lack of protective equipment or specialized safety training.
Alina Radu, Ziarul de Garda Director, also confirms that safety issues are one of the biggest difficulties the press is currently facing. “As journalists, especially investigators, we’ve never been absolutely safe. Now that we are faced with a war at the borders of the Republic of Moldova and an area which is not controlled by the Republic of Moldova, but is full of weapons and people we don’t understand, safety is important for both citizens and journalists,” Alina Radu says.
According to such organizations as Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, at least seven journalists have lost their lives during their professional missions: Evgeny Sakun, Brent Renaud, Pierre Zakrzewski, Alexandra Kuvshinova, Oksana Baulina, Max Levin, and Mantas Kvedaravičius.
