journalists jailed by Russia

PEN Ukraine and the Center for Civil Liberties will host “Empty Chairs” demonstrations in Kyiv and Lviv on November 15 to rally support for imprisoned journalists and human rights defenders.

When Russian forces occupied Melitopol, often described as the “gateway to Crimea” or the “southern gateway of Ukraine,” in early 2022, the city did not immediately fall silent. Local journalists, editors, and volunteer administrators continued to publish, often anonymously and at great personal risk, documenting life under occupation, Russian abuses, and the gradual suffocation of civic space. For Moscow, that persistence soon became intolerable.