Press Freedom Status For Women Journalists: January 2023
Violations against women journalists trying to do their work have continued
Throughout the month of January 2023, the Coalition For Women In Journalism documented 23 cases of violations against women journalists. There have been a worrying number of legal harassment cases in January. Authorities are abusing their powers to silence the voices of female journalists. These are tactics of intimidation. The Turkish government, in particular, has shown that it is willing to use all legal tools necessary to restrict journalism critical of the state and its institutions. Women journalists who have already been imprisoned by the authorities are now facing bogus lawsuits. CFWIJ condemns the arbitrary and obscure nature of the charges being brought against women journalists.
Four women journalists arrested
Iran: The government persecution of women journalists continued in Iran this month with three further arrests documented.
On January 22, Tehrani journalists Saeedah Shafiei and Mehrnoosh Zarei Hanzaki were arrested at their homes by the Iranian security forces. There is no information on why they were arrested.
The authorities also detained Melika Hashemi after summoning her for "explanations". Hashemi works for Shahr or City news agency. Read more about arrests of journalists in Iran.
Iraq: Soma Khalid, a journalist working for Kurdish media outlet KNN TV, was released after spending a night in a Sulaimani prison. Khalid was targeted over a report criticizing management and staff of Sulaimani’s Shar Hospital. Read details of her arrest.
Three women journalists imprisoned
Iran: Kurdish journalist Nazila Maroufian was sentenced to two years in prison without a proper court hearing. Iranian judicial authorities arrested the journalist for interviewing Amjad Amini, father of Mashsa Amini, whose death at the headquarters of the morality police sparked nationwide protests. Read more about arrests of journalists in Iran.
Ukraine: Citizen journalist and human rights defender Iryna Danylovych was sentenced to seven years in prison for exposing problems in the healthcare sector in Russian-occupied Crimea. International human rights organizations have called the charges against the journalist politically motivated. Read more about the sentencing.
Burundi: Floriane Irangabiye, a journalist who returned home from exile was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Burundian High Court. Evidence shows that she was sentenced because of her profession as a journalist.
Turkey: Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) Co-chairman, Dicle Müftüoğlu was sentenced to six months in prison. Read more about legal harassment of female journalists in Turkey.
Three women journalists detained
Belarus: A court in Minsk has ordered journalist Yekaterina Yanshina to fifteen days in jail for “petty hooliganism”. Yanshina was reporting on a case on January 5 when she was detained trying to leave court. Read more about this case.
Russia: Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko was detained after being attacked by her ex-husband while under house arrest. She was arrested in April 2022 for reporting on civilian deaths in Mariupol, Ukraine. Read more about this case.
Turkey: Journalist Rojin Altay working at pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Yeni Yaşam,was detained for four days by Turkish authorities. No information was provided on the reason for the detention.
Eight women journalists subject to legal harassment
Turkey: The Turkish authorities have ramped up their persecution of women journalists. The government has initiated legal proceedings against 7 journalists and detained a journalist for unknown reasons. Recently, new investigations have been opened against arrested journalists, making it difficult for them to get out of prison. Read about more about the investigations.
Lawsuits have been filed against Ceylan Şahinli and Öznur Değer, two of the six female journalists arrested on October 29, 2022. Currently detained, Ceylan Şahinli is unclear what charges are being brought against her. These legal proceedings began five years ago, she was only informed of the lawsuit when she was arrested last year. Read more about the case.
Short Wave writer, journalist Hale Gönültaş is being investigated after reporting on the disappearance and rape of a 12-year-old girl who was staying in a children's dormitory. The investigation was launched against Gönültaş after a police officer filed a criminal complaint. Read more about this investigation.
After a hearing this month, Ayşegül Doğan continues to be banned from travel, despite having charges against her overturned. The travel ban has been in place since 2017. Read more about this case.
Journalists Pınar Gayıp and Nazlan Ertan have both faced legal harassment for social media posts this month. Read more about harassment.
France: On January 19, the Paris Criminal Court initiated trial proceedings against senior reporter for Libération Maria Malagardis. The charges are related to an alleged public insult against the former head of military intelligence in Rwanda, Aloys Ntiwiragabo. Read more on the case.
Finland: The Helsinki District Court convicted Helsingin Sanomat journalist Laura Halminen and her colleague Tuomo Pietiläinen over allegedly divulging state secrets in the infamous Finnish Intelligence Research Center case. Read more about this conviction.
Online harassment targeting two women journalists
Canada: Women journalists in Canada continue to be the target of threatening messages because of their job. Global News journalist Teresa Wright is just the latest example. More and more journalists are on the receiving end of daily messages of harassment and death threats online.
Ireland: Emer O’Neill, a presenter for Irish national broadcaster RTÉ has been subjected to a flood of abuse after writing an Instagram post criticizing a popular Irish comedian for a racist joke made during his live show. Read more about the case.
A woman journalist under surveillance
China: Isolated in an apartment in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, ethnic Kazakh journalist Zhanargul Zhumatai expresses that she cannot leave the house where she is currently residing in without being targeted by authorities. Chinese police forces have threatened her family and have said they will send Zhumatai to a psychiatric ward against her will, despite the fact the journalist does not suffer from any mental health conditions.
A woman journalist insulted
Turkey: After questioning a politician about a murder at a press conference, journalist Yıldız Yazıcıoğlu was told to mind her own business. The politician later targeted her on Twitter, labeling her an “agent provocateur”. Read more about the case.
Victory against corruption
Philippines: On January 18, 2023, Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and her news outlet Rappler were acquitted by the Philippine Court of Tax Appeals putting an end to the legal action launched against them by the Philippine government in 2018 marking a win not only for independent journalism, but for democracy as well.
Accreditation reinstated
We applaud the Ukrainian authorities for finally reinstating Danish journalist Matilde Kimer’s accreditation. However, it is concerning when trustworthy journalism is impeded. After a lengthy campaign to restore her credentials, the award-winning journalist is free to report on the war. Kimer has reported for Danish public radio and television on Ukraine and Russia for years. Her insight and expertise on the region are critical to coverage of the invasion.
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