An Appeal for the Release of Ukrainian Journalists

Second Ukrainian-Polish Forum
Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, September 13-14, 2014

We – representatives of the Association of Polish Journalists (APJ), the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), participanting in the Second Ukrainian-Polish Forum, held in the city of Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, on September 13 and 14, 2014 – appeal to the Government of the Russian Federation to release Yegor Vorobyov, a Ukrainian free-lance journalist who was working on an assignment for Espreso TV when he was taken into custody by Russian soldiers near Ilovaysk.

We would like to remind everyone about four other Ukrainian journalists who remain imprisoned: Yury Lelyavsky (since July 23), Dmytro Potekhin (since August 7), Valery Makeev and Roman Cheremsky (since August 30-31).

In addition, we appeal to all parties of the on-going military conflict in eastern Ukraine to comply with international conventions which: firstly, oblige all involved parties to guarantee the safety of all members of the press while the latter fulfill their professional duties and, secondly, prohibit the taking of any journalists as hostages or prisoners of war.

September 14, 2014

Krzysztof Skowronski, President, APJ

Sergij Tomylenko, First Secretary, NUJU

Yury Lukanov, Head, IMTUU