LONDON, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - London's Foreign Press Association called on the release of Rossiya Segodnya news agency's photographer Andrei Stenin, missing in Ukraine, and reminded that journalists should be able to freely cover the events in eastern Ukraine.
"The Foreign Press Association in London shares the concerns expressed by international media organizations about the whereabouts and safety of the Russian photographer Andrei Stenin,” the organization responsible for the accreditation of foreign journalists in the UK said in a statement.
“All journalists and photographers must be free to cover events in eastern Ukraine without harassment or interference. Events there are of huge interest and importance both to the people of the region and the whole international community," the statement quoted President of the FPA Paola Totaro as saying.
Totaro said it was important that Stenin "be freed if he was being held against his will by security forces or others."
A Russian journalist working for Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency, Stenin went missing in eastern Ukraine on August 5 while covering the current crisis in the region. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Some sources claim Ukrainian military forces have detained him, but Kiev officials have not confirmed this information. Rallies to support the missing journalist have been held in various cities in Russia, Serbia and Argentina. The influential Mexican Press Club has also expressed its support of Stenin.
Press freedom in Ukraine, especially in the country’s east, has been steadily deteriorating, with journalists detained, kidnapped and tortured. These cases have been condemned by various international human rights organizations.
Please support Andrei Stenin’s release by sharing the hashtag #FreeAndrew in social networks. Andrei is a professional war photographer reporting from the most dangerous war zones in the world. You can view Andrei’s pictures from Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Libya here and his most recent shots from eastern Ukraine here.
