Overview

• Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna’s body, returned by Russia in February, was mislabeled as an 'unidentified male' and showed signs of torture, including missing organs, burns, and fractures.
• Forensic experts suspect organs were removed to obscure evidence of strangulation or suffocation, with markings on the body suggesting a fabricated cause of death by Russian authorities.
• Ukraine has classified Roshchyna’s death as a war crime involving premeditated murder and is urging international institutions to hold Russia accountable for systemic human rights violations.
• Roshchyna, known for reporting on Russian abuses, was detained in Russian-occupied territories in 2023, enduring months of torture in notorious prisons before her death in September 2024.
• Ukrainian officials presented the case to the UN, highlighting Russia’s treatment of journalists and civilians, and calling for stronger protections for media workers in conflict zones.