North Macedonia: Rita Behadini Threatened After Criticizing Religious Leader’s Sexist Remarks
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the threats against the journalist and urges authorities to investigate.
Location: North Macedonia
Date: July 21, 2023
Journalist Rita Behadini was threatened online after criticizing the sexist views of an Imam. The journalist is entitled to criticize the religious leader’s publicly expressed comments. Threatening her with harm because of her views is unacceptable. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls on the Ministry of the Interior and Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate and punish the perpetrators.
"Please delete the post you wrote against the hodja (imam). Your family will be ****,” a Facebook profile called Fisnik Hoxha wrote to Rita Behadini, a journalist with outlet Alsat M. “Tomorrow, I will come to Alsat M. I will cut your ear with a knife.”
On July 21, after sharing a post on Facebook written by religious leader Hoxhë Omer Bajrami, Behadini received violent threats. The journalist criticized Bajrami for propagating sexist views about women and gender roles, pointing out that his words have significant influence among religious, mostly ethnic-Albanian, communities.
The direct call for physical violence against Behadini not only endangers her safety but potentially also threatens other colleagues at the media outlet.
Research from 2022 shows that an alarming 81% of women journalists in North Macedonia face online harassment, including hate speech, sexism, and threats to life. Many women journalists in the country accept harassment as part of the profession, indicating a high degree of normalization.
The CFWIJ has documented repeated and vicious online smear campaigns against North Macedonian journalist Tanja Milevska. In 2021 she was attacked online after speaking out against misogyny in the gaming community. The previous year she faced threats and harassment for her coverage of an election campaign in the country.
In North Macedonia, threats to life are criminal offenses punishable under the country's Criminal Code. Behadini has reported the threat to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), specifically to the Department of Computer Crime and Digital Forensics.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism thanks Rita Behadini for speaking out about the threats against her and reporting the incident to the police. Considering the normalization of online harassment of women journalists in the country, her decision to seek justice and condemn those threatening her is commendable. We now call on authorities to investigate the threats against her and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.