At the same time, this day not only celebrates professional activity but a good reason to commemorate those, who suffered due to such activity. Protection of journalists who suffered and continue to experience political repressions is urgent, particularly in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol.

Systemic violations of journalists’ rights, detentions, inhuman treatment, tortures and conviction on fabricated charges are the instruments the occupying administration uses to suppress independent media outlets in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol. 

There is currently no independent journalism in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

The bright example is the case of Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko. On 9 March he attended the rally on the occasion of Taras Shevchenko’s birthday. The next day on 10 March he was arrested by the FSB officers. On March 12, the ‘Kievsky District Court of Simferopol’, controlled by the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, ruled to keep Mr.Yesypenko in custody for two months, until May 11. 

The detainee is accused of illegal manufacture, processing or repair of firearms, its main parts (except for firearms of limited action), as well as illegal manufacture of ammunition.

On March 16, the RF FSB claimed that Vladyslav Yesypenko might have been engaged in the “intelligence and subversive activity in the interests of the Ukrainian security services”, i.e. ‘he had been taking photo and video records of the locations, critical public infrastructure, and public attended places’ on Crimea.

Vladyslav Yesypenko’s lawyer said his client testified during a closed-door court hearing that the torture lasted two days after his arrest in March on what the defense calls false charges.

Thousands of citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territory were subjected to persecution for their journalistic activity and freedom of expression. That’s why on the occasion of the Day of Journalist we are calling to support those media representatives who suffered from repressive methods of the Russian Federation and its occupying authorities in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine for their journalistic activity. We believe that free journalistic will return to Crimea again and people will be able to get objective information.