Press Freedom Status for Women Journalists: May 2021
During the month of May 2021, The Coalition For Women In Journalism documented an alarming 70 cases of violations against women journalists. Types of violations this month include murder, abduction, detentions, and physical assaults in the field, among other various kinds of press freedom attacks towards women journalists reporting from different parts of the world. Read our May 2021 report below to learn more about the Press Freedom challenges women journalists have encountered in the physical and digital world this month.
One woman journalist was killed
Palestine: Several sources in Gaza spoke to CFWIJ confirming the death of Palestinian journalist Reema Saad. She was killed in her apartment alongside her children and husband when Israeli forces bombed civilian residences in Gaza City. Read the details of the case here.
One woman journalist was abducted
Nigeria: Journalist Amra Ahmed Diska was abducted from her home in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State. Read more about the case.
At least 18 women journalists were attacked or impeded in the field
Canada: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) temporarily restricted press access to the headwaters of Fairy Creek, the last unlogged old-growth valley on southern Vancouver Island. Continue reading here for details.
Germany: Katherin Grabener and Antonia Yamin, associated with Kan News and RTL news network, were attacked by demonstrators at a pro-Palestine protest in Berlin on May 15. Read more here.
Kenya: DW East Africa correspondent Mariel Müller was injured while covering a protest in Nairobi. She was hurt during a police confrontation with demonstrators. She was engulfed in tear gas fired by the police, presumably to disperse the crowd. Details available here.
Palestine: Rama Yousef, a Palestinian journalist based in Jerusalem, was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet deployed by Israeli police on May 18. The journalist was reporting on the protest at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem when she was wounded. Read the details of this story.
Palestine: Israeli forces bombed and damaged the offices of the “Filastiniat” association and its affiliated news agency "Nawa". Since no prior warning was given before the attack, there were two civilian casualties, one being a child. In a separate incident the same day, Palestinian photojournalist Latifeh Abdellatif was physically assaulted by armed Israeli officers for covering their actions on the ground. Continue reading for details.
Palestine: The Israeli forces deliberately targeted Palestinian journalists covering the attacks and violations against worshippers in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Read more about the case.
Palestine: Gaza-based photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf was forced to evacuate her family after an Israeli missile struck her neighbor’s home. Samar is just one example of the thousands of Palestinians displaced by the relentless Israeli air raids. Read the full story here.
The Philippines: The police restricted Lorraine Ecarma, a correspondent for Rappler, from covering the release of human rights activist and Lumad teacher Chad Booc. More details here.
Somalia: Radio Kulme reporter Fardowso Mohamud Sahal was beaten and attacked by police while covering a protest in Mogadishu on May 16. The security forces also confiscated her equipment. Read more here.
Turkey: Police interfered with at least four women journalists covering the May 1st Labor Day events across Turkey. Equipment was damaged, and several journalists were battered. Read more details.
Turkey: Police prevented journalists Derya Saadet and Fatoş Erdoğan from covering student demonstrations against the Israeli attacks in Palestine. Click here for more information.
Uganda: Teddy Nakaliga and a fellow journalist were attacked by the Ugandan armed forces for covering a protest in Kayunga Village. Read the details of the case here.
19 women journalists faced detention
Algeria: The police arrested journalist Kenza Khattou and at least 15 other reporters on May 14 for covering an anti-government protest. Continue reading for details.
Bangladesh: Rozina Islam, a senior correspondent Prothom Alo newspaper, was arrested after spending nearly five hours in confinement at the Health Ministry Secretariat. Click here for more details.
Belarus: Freelance photographer Tatsyana Kapitonava was arbitrarily detained on May 13 while covering a conference at the Startup Family coworking center in Minsk. Details available here.
Belarus: Reporter Lyubov Kasperovich was sentenced to 15 days in detention for participating in an unauthorized demonstration. Read more details.
Belarus: After the massive crackdown against independent news website Tut.by, 13 employees— six of them women— remain in custody. More details available here.
Ghana: Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo was illegally detained by law enforcement agencies who deleted data from her phone while holding her in custody. Further information available here.
Palestine: Israeli forces physically assaulted and arrested Zeina Al-Halawani in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood without a warrant. Find more details here.
Turkey: Mesopotamia Agency reporter Ceylan Şahinli was detained while following the May 1st Labor Day event in Ankara. More details here.
United States: Ayano Nagaishi and Alison Cutler, watchdog reporters associated with The News Leader, were arrested on Wednesday, May 19, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. They were covering a protest against the acquittal of three sheriffs accused of shooting an unarmed black man, Andrew Brown Jr. Read details here.
NOTE: A journalist who does not wish to be identified was held in custody by local law enforcement agencies. She was eventually released.
Last month, two women journalists were wrongfully terminated
Hong Kong: Nabela Qoser, a correspondent associated with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), faced persecution in the workplace for her reportage. RTHK will not renew Nabela’s contract, reportedly citing an ongoing probation period. These conditions forced the journalist to quit by the end of the month. Details of the case are available here.
United States: Former Arizona Republic writer Emily Wilder was terminated by The Associated Press. The decision followed criticism of her support for Palestinian rights during her college years. Find out more about the case.
At least six women journalists were physically assaulted
Côte d'Ivoire: Diane Kablakan, a correspondent for Ovajab Media, was physically assaulted by police trainees of the gendarmerie on May 9. Find further details here.
Georgia: The Mtavari channel TV crew and journalist Nino Kekelia were physically assaulted by an unidentified group of men. They were attacked while reporting on the Davit Gareja Monastery Complex on Georgia's southeastern border with Azerbaijan. Click here for more details.
Hong Kong: Reporter Leung Zhen, associated with The Epoch Times, was beaten by two unidentified men. Details on the case available here.
Iran: Faeze Momeni, a correspondent for Event 24 News, was covering her assignment at Shahid Beheshti University when she was attacked by security guards. She suffered a broken finger, requiring hospitalization. More details here.
Palestine: Riwa Murshid was harassed and threatened by members of a militant organization for not covering her head. When the journalist responded, the assailant attacked her with a tree branch, leaving visible wounds on her body. Click here for more details on this story.
Peru: Stefanie Medina, a correspondent for Canal N and America Television, was physically attacked while covering an assignment in the southern city of Ayacucho on May 19. Further details here.
At least seven women journalists faced threats of violence and/or intimidation
Belarus: Belsat TV program host Arina Malinovskaya was threatened by the Belarusian authorities to return to the country. The journalist left Belarus fearing persecution. Further details on the case available here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Head of State Milorad Dodik threatened journalist Tanja Topić, labeling her a traitor in a statement to the SRNA news agency from Republika Srpska. Read more here.
Bulgaria: In an interview, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Secretary Boyko Rashkov targeted journalist Bilyana Gavazova and her TV partner. More details here.
Mexico: Marina Rodríguez, a correspondent for De Política y Algo Más, received death threats on social media for her journalistic coverage. Continue reading for more details.
Mexico: Journalist Ginger Gloom revealed receiving threats from Ricardo Gómez Escalante, a candidate for Federal Deputy. Find out more about the case.
Northern Ireland: Award-winning crime reporter Patricia Devlin was threatened again online. Patricia received a horrific rape threat over Facebook, targeting her son. Read the details.
United Kingdom: Rosamund Urwin, a columnist and senior feature writer at the London Evening Standard opened up about the persistent harassment and threats she has faced for the past two years. Find out more.
Seven women journalists faced legal harassment or ‘harassment by law’
Belarus: Belarusian state authorities raided the offices of TUT.BY media. Under the same guise of tax evasion, police also searched the home of editor-in-chief Marina Zolotova. The authorities also raided journalist Elena Tolkacheva’s house. At the time of the raids, the media company's website was blocked. Continue reading for more details.
Hungary: Julia Halasz, a correspondent for the news website “444”, was convicted of criminal defamation charges on May 6. Her case sheds light on the weaponization of defamation as a criminal offense in the country. Read more here.
Russia: Lyudmila Savitskaya appealed to dismiss her controversial status as a "foreign agent” in Russia. The city of Pskov denied her request on May 5. Click here for more details.
Saudi Arabia: Prominent Saudi human rights activist and journalist Loujain Al-Hathoul appeared before the Saudi supreme court on Sunday, May 10. According to Loujain's relatives, the court upheld the initial verdict, affirming the terrorist charges against her. Find out more about the case.
Turkey: The first hearing of the trial against Roza Metina, the Kurdish editor of Jin News, was held in Diyarbakır. The court ordered the prosecutor's office to file its opinion and postponed the next hearing to September 14, 2021. More information here.
Turkey: The case against Etkin News Agency (ETHA) editor İsminaz Temel and reporter Havva Cuştan on terror-related charges was yet again delayed based on technicalities. Read more about the issue.
Four women journalists confronted online harassment campaigns
Canada: The Edmonton Journal reporter Lauren Boothby was targeted online following her coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations. The reporter received abusive hate mail after her article on May 15. Further details available here.
Canada: Reporter for CBC News Lauren Pelley, who often covers the pandemic, received online abuse via email, accusing her of fear-mongering. Click here for more information.
India: Vineetha Venu, a former journalist with leading Malayalam news channels, alleged that supporters of political party CPI-M have targeted her and her family on digital platforms since she covered a murder case in 2018. More information available here.
South Africa: Journalist Qaanitah Hunter was singled out in a Twitter attack by the ANC Women's League president, Bathabile Dlamini. Dlamini attacked Hunter’s character, allegiance to the principles of feminism, and her professional integrity without proof. Read more about this story.
Turkey: Habertürk TV presenter Ebru Baki was deliberately targeted by the organized trolling campaign launched by İzzet Ulvi Yönter, deputy chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party. Further details available here.
Three faced racial discrimination and attacks
Portugal: TVI correspondent Conceição Queiroz was intimidated and racially discriminated against by a passerby during her live broadcast for 24 Journal on May 3. Read more.
Turkey: Karel Valansi, a columnist for Şalom Newspaper, was targeted with antisemitic attacks by pro-government media outlets after commenting on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The journalist was also subjected to online smear campaigns. Read details.
United States: Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer prize-winning writer for The New York Times magazine, was overlooked for a tenure position at the University of North Carolina. It is speculated that the decision was racially motivated and discriminatory. Read the full story here.
At least two women journalists were verbally attacked
Canada: Producer and correspondent for The Calgary News, Jo Horwood, was harassed publicly by an unidentified man while recording an assignment. Read more here.
Croatia: President Zoran Milanovic verbally attacked journalists working for the Croatian public broadcaster HRT. President Milanovic leveled personal and professional accusations against them. Details of the case are available here.
As always, we continue to find hope
Turkey: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the prohibition on the investigation of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission was a violation of rights. The court made this decision based on the application submitted by journalist Banu Güven. Continue reading about the case.
Turkey: The house arrest against Pınar Gayıp, a reporter for the Etkin News Agency, was lifted on May 18. Find out more about the case.
Turkey: The court acquitted journalist Melis Alphan from all terror-related charges. Read more about her case.
If you would like to request more insight into our findings, or would like to suggest an addition to our work reach out to us at data@womeninjournalism.org. For media inquiries reach out to us at press@womeninjournalism.org.