The murder of one journalist and the injury of another in Ukraine require an investigation and mechanisms to ensure the protection of journalists

Stockholm- The international human rights foundation Skyline condemns the killing of an American journalist and the injury of another journalist while covering events in Ukraine, and calls for an investigation into the circumstances of the incident under the rules of international humanitarian law.

In a statement released today, Sunday, Skyline says it reacts with regret to the announcement by Ukrainian authorities on Sunday, March 13, that American journalist Brent Renaud, 51, who works as a reporter for the American newspaper The New York Times, was killed by Russian forces.

According to media reports, the journalist "Renaud", known for his humanitarian reports for two decades, was shot in the neck, while his colleague was taken to the hospital injured. Journalist "Renaud" and his colleague were on a mission to photograph refugees leaving the "Irbin" region, where there are fierce armed clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces, when they came under fire after passing a checkpoint.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud’s death,” said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for The Times. “Brent was a talented filmmaker.” Mr. Renaud had contributed to The Times in previous years, most recently in 2015, but he was not on assignment for the company in Ukraine. Early reports that he was working for The Times in Ukraine circulated because he was found with a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment years ago.

Skyline points out that "Renaud" is the first journalist to be killed during Russia's war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since last February 24 and has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians protected under international humanitarian law.

Since the beginning of 2022, 15 journalists have been killed worldwide, including 5 in Mexico, 2 in Haiti, and the rest in Burma, Brazil, Chad, Syria, Yemen, India, and Iran. Skyline appeals to the parties to the armed conflict to abide by the rules of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions during the war and to avoid targeting civilians, including journalists, and civilian objects.

Accordingly, Skykine expresses regret that journalists continue to be killed, injured, and arrested in various conflict zones. It calls for a serious investigation into the circumstances of the murder of journalist "Renaud" and other journalists killed, as well as an end to the impunity of the perpetrators of these crimes.

At the end of its statement, Skyline indicates that the crimes of killing journalists and harming their personal safety, whether through shooting, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and threats of all kinds; all fall within the framework of muzzling dissent voices and suppressing freedom of media work and freedom of opinion and expression to hide the facts from public opinion.