The veteran journalist, writer and member of the IFJ affiliate National Union of Journalists of Ukraine(NUJU) was detained by the Russian military on 18 March 2022at his home near Mariupol, allegedly for possessing "compromising" photos with the Ukrainian military found during the search of his flat. Bal was detained for three days, tortured and beaten.
He was released on 21 March and died on 2 April. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine said that his death was result of the torture he had suffered during his detention..
Source : Council of Europe’s Platform for the Promotion of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists