Schiff, Chabot on Deaths of Journalists in Ukraine
“As Russia's assault on Ukraine continues, an increasingly-frustrated Vladimir Putin is attempting to silence those who might expose the cruelty and extraordinary senselessness of his war. He has effectively criminalized accurate reporting on the war in Russia, even prohibiting the use of the word “war” to describe the war.
“In just three short weeks, Putin's war has also led to the deaths of four journalists, including two Americans: Brent Renaud and Pierre Zakrzewski. Additional reporters and members of the press have been wounded, and untold more have had their lives endangered by the indiscriminate brutality of Russian forces. More troubling still are the reports of several journalists, including Russians, who have been detained amid the chaos of Putin's bloody campaign. International humanitarian law protects journalists and members of the press from being targeted by despots, even and especially in times of war. If those laws have indeed been violated, the U.S. and its allies must respond with a decisive message: We stand unequivocally with the free press. And we will not give so much as an inch to authoritarians like Putin – because a democracy without journalists is no democracy at all.”
###