France: CFWIJ Expresses Deep Concern Regarding The Threatening Letter Received By Journalist Nadiya Lazzouni
Location: France, Paris
Date: April 16, 2021
Nadiya Lazzouni received an anonymous letter at her private residence. The letter was replete with sexist and Islamophobic slurs and included death threats. Nadiya believes that she was targeted for her religious visibility and expressed great fear about the implications of the perpetrator's access to her residential address.
Nadiya Lazzouni, Paris-based video producer and founder of the news and commentary outlet Speak Up channel, received a threatening letter in the mail on April 8. The letter contained death threats, as well as vicious misogynistic and anti-Muslim slurs. Nadiya, whose work centers around advocacy for minority and diversity issues in France through journalism, came into the public eye for her strong support for the Muslim woman's right to wear a headscarf. Two years ago, she appeared on TV talk shows to speak against the government's move to ban headscarves worn by mothers accompanying students on school trips. A week before she received this letter, Nadiya had posted an excerpt from her TV appearance where she discussed the ban on the Hijab on her Twitter account.
Nadiya, who made the contents of the letter public on social media, filed a complaint to the Paris prosecutor’s office on April 9. She demanded an investigation into the matter and asked for police protection. However, she has yet to receive a reply. Nadiya strongly believes that she was targeted because she is visibly a Muslim woman. “I am targeted because I am a journalist, a Muslim, and a woman wearing a headscarf. The letter containing the death threat was addressed to my private address, I feel threatened now in my own home," she said.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns this attempt to intimidate Nadiya Lazzouni. The rise of xenophobic politics around the world is a cause of deep concern. The French authorities need to take attacks against members of its minority communities seriously. Nadiya should be provided immediate protection, and her case thoroughly investigated to ensure her safety.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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