The lingering war between Russia and Ukraine has so far claimed the lives of at least seven journalists, Naija News learnt.
While many other journalists are still being targeted, news reporting has been made more difficult in the region as social media platforms have been blocked and news websites in Russia shut down.
Disruption of foreign media services have continued, making many of the terrible attacks un-reportable since the war started on February 14.
The last time so many media professionals were killed in Ukraine was said to be in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
The latest attack on the media personnel was confirmed in the UN’s latest data.
The alert from UN-appointed independent rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, cited “numerous reports” that journalists have been “targeted”.
Reports had it that journalists have been tortured, kidnapped, attacked and killed, or refused safe passage from cities and regions under siege.
The rights experts, in a statement, stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine had been made easier by the “silencing of critical voices over a prolonged period’’.
According to experts, Moscow’s “massive labelling” of independent media as “foreign agents” is a source of concern.
“We deplore the systematic crackdown on political opponents, independent journalists and the media, human rights activists, protesters and many others opposing the Russian government’s actions.
“All these measures amount to the creation of a state monopoly on information in blatant violation of Russia’s international obligations,” they stated.
The rights experts stressed that disinformation is also being spread about Ukraine in Russian State-owned media.
