Egypt: Journalist Amira Fathy Filed A Lawsuit Against The Senate's House Vice President For Harassing And Intimidating Her.

Location: Egypt, Cairo
Date: October 30, 2020

Available in: 🇸🇦  عربي

Journalist Amira Fathy of Al-Wafd newspaper filed a lawsuit against representative and vice president of the senate-house, Mohamed Elrashidy for intimidating and harassing her after commenting on his violation of construction laws. The Coalition For Women In Journalism supports the journalist against such acts and condemns targeting women journalists for their coverage with these patriarchal practices.

Amira was harassed by Mr. Rashidy on Facebook and WhatsApp. He tried video calling her at dawn and then started attacking her on Facebook posts because she wrote about his violations of construction laws. Mr.Rashidy then wrote a post on Facebook name-calling, threatening, and personally attacking the journalist.

Amira filed a lawsuit against him for threatening, disturbing, and calling her at inappropriate times via WhatsApp. The journalist submitted screenshots from the calls and posts where he attacked her. She explained that he’s intimidating her to keep her away from writing about the violations in the buildings he owns.

Women journalists suffer from constant attacks and threats due to their coverage around the world. These threats aim to intimidate them and push them away from the field. Threats against women journalists lead to many consequences that vary from self-censorship, marginalization to quitting the whole career.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism supports the journalist against these threats and calls upon the authorities to take deterrent measures against Mr. Rashidy. House representatives should respect the law and refrain from targeting journalists. Mr. Rashidy shouldn’t exploit his status to intimidate and attack journalists.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org

The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.

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