An exhibition about russian crimes against media in Ukraine will take place in Lviv

The exhibition "Call the War a War: Russian crimes against media in Ukraine since February 24, 2022” will open on March 31 at 12:30 pm on the 32 Rynok Square in Lviv. The project aims to tell the story of journalists who died, have been captured in prisons or persecuted as a result of a full-scale war waged by Russia against Ukraine.  It is a show of solidarity with media workers who continue to work despite the danger.

Why are journalists important? The world would not have learned about Russia's crimes against humanity under the guise of "denazification" in Mariupol if photographers Yevhen Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov, risking their lives, had not documented the destruction of the city and civilians. This is what all independent journalists and media do: despite the threat to their own lives, they continue to perform their professional duty - to tell the truth.

The world must realize that Russia is an aggressor. That is why it is critical for foreign journalists and media to talk about war crimes against Ukraine and call things by their names: Russia's war against Ukraine is a war, not a "crisis", a "conflict" or a "military operation".  

Since February 24 during the war in Ukraine 5 journalists were killed, 9 more were wounded, 1 went missing, 2 journalists were captured (according to the Institute of Mass Information as of March 28). In addition, human rights organizations continue to record cases of abductions, threats and torture of journalists covering the crimes of the Russian occupiers in our country. These methods of the aggressor are reminiscent of Russia's actions in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in the east and in the Crimea, where all independent media disappeared after 2014, and journalists who dared to tell the truth were captured or in Russian prisons.

Apply for accreditation here: https://cutt.ly/DDmZvAg.

The event will be supported by NGO “Ukrainian branch of the International PEN Club”, NGO “Lviv Media Forum”, NGO “Institute of Mass Information”, Ukraine Media Center, Lviv City Council and the Georgy Gongadze Prize.