Funeral held for Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski killed in Ukraine
A funeral service was held for veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, who was killed in war-torn Ukraine; Fox correspondent Lucas Tomlinson pays tribute on ‘The Story.’
The Committee to Protect Journalists reminded that targeting reporters "may be a war crime" and welcomed support for journalists who are risking their lives to report on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the heels of Senators Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introducing a resolution to express gratitude for the free press.
"We welcome all public support for journalists, particularly those risking their lives to bring us the facts about what is happening in Ukraine," Committee to Protect Journalists advocacy and communications director Gypsy Guillén Kaiser told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
"It's critical to remember that journalists and media facilities are considered civilians under international humanitarian law," Kaiser continued. "Deliberate attacks on the press may be a war crime and the perpetrators must be held to account."
Cameraman and editor Pierre Zakrzewski, was affectionately referred to as "Zak" by colleagues, was killed covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Cassidy and Klobuchar introduced a resolution Wednesday that also condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for carrying out attacks on civilians, noting journalists and war correspondents are considered civilians by the Geneva Conventions and their protocols.
Earlier this month, tragedy struck when a vehicle carrying Fox News journalists was hit outside Kyiv, Ukraine. Veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova, who was serving as a consultant for Fox News on the ground, were killed in the attack, and Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall was seriously injured.
"Journalists deserve our gratitude for bravely and tirelessly covering Putin’s unprovoked war, risking their lives to do so," Klobuchar said. "The free press has played a critical role in exposing Putin’s brutality and combating the lies being spread by the Kremlin. Today and every day, standing up for democracy means standing up for a free press."
Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova was serving as a consultant for Fox News on the ground during the course of the Russian invasion. She was killed when her vehicle was struck by incoming fire. (Instagram - Fusion )
In addition to Zakrzewski, Kuvshynova and Hall, the resolution also noted the foreign journalists who have been killed or wounded since Russia’s invasion began last month.
"It is possible that additional Ukrainian and foreign press have been or will be injured and killed so long as Russian Federation forces continue their brutal attack on civilians," the resolution states. "All civilians, including journalists and news staff, should be spared violence by military forces."
Cassidy and Klobuchar said the Senate expressed "gratitude on behalf of the people of the United States to the journalists and news staff who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to report on the humanitarian crisis and ongoing war on the ground in Ukraine following the Russian Federation’s invasion."
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