The Board calls for a full and transparent investigation into the death of journalist Vyacheslav Veremiy, a 32-year-old correspondent for Vesti newspaper, who died following an attack by unidentified assailants on 18 February as he was leaving Independence Square in Kiev. The Board calls for an end to the culture of impunity that so often surrounds attacks on journalists in Ukraine.

The Board of WAN-IFRA calls on the government of Ukraine to do more to ensure the protection and safety of journalists. Independent observers have recorded 218 assaults against journalists since the beginning of January 2014, and while recognising the difficulties presented by a constantly changing situation on the ground, the WAN-IFRA Board finds it entirely unacceptable for journalists to be deliberately targeted and thus prevented from doing their job.

Furthermore, the Board calls for solidarity between all media in the face of these attacks, and for greater protections from all States implicated in current events to ensure the safety of journalists from every side who working on covering events on the ground.

The Board notes that without a significant increase in the safety of journalists the ability of the media to hold power to account is significantly diminished while the risk of perpetuating a culture of self-censorship increases.

The Board of WAN-IFRA therefore notes that Ukrainian journalists are carrying out their duties in the face of grave personal danger and should be celebrated for their essential contribution to society.