Northern Ireland: The Ongoing Death Threats Against Journalist Patricia Devlin Have Taken A Severe Turn
Location: Northern Ireland
Date: December 1, 2020
The ongoing death threats against journalist Patricia Devlin have taken a severe turn. The two latest threats —including a death threat— were made by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) follows the malicious attacks against Patricia with great concern. As these threats can carry severe consequences, we call again on the Northern Ireland authorities and security forces to ensure the journalist and her family’s safety.
We have received reports that crimes, as well as paramilitary and sectarian attacks, have risen in Northern Ireland over the past two years. The increase in these attacks is linked to the economic recession, the power vacuum in the regional government and the uncertainty stemming from Brexit. Specifically, journalists are at high risk from the current situation and political climate. Crime reporter for Sunday World, Patricia Devlin, is one of them.
Award-winning reporter Patricia Devlin has faced severe threats since October 2019 via messages to her personal Facebook account. The latest threats were made by UDA, including the death threat Patricia purported to be planned in the coming days.
Speaking to CFWIJ, Patricia pointed out that the current situation is getting worse “This came after threatening social media posts. I reported them to Facebook and they said it didn’t breach community standards and won’t take them down” she said.
Patricia added, “It is linked to an ongoing paramilitary feud that has been happening in the North Antrim area in Northern Ireland, which I have covered over the last six months.”
Last Friday, another threat of an “imminent” attack was reported against a different journalist at the Sunday World. It is believed that the threat originated from the same loyalist paramilitary group that targeted Patricia. Information on all three threats was given to the journalist by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) over the weekend.
Last month, Patricia filed a complaint with the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman for PSNI's failure to investigate the threats. Patricia even wrote to the Scottish Police to ask for their assistance in the case. Throughout the inquiry, Patricia was not informed of any case developments.
In her complaint last week, Patricia appealed to the PSNI for a commitment to immediately investigate the threats against her and ensure the safety of her family. Assuming that PSNI decided not to provide such assurance, the journalist is prepared to apply for a judicial review against them.
CFWIJ follows the ongoing online attacks against women journalists with great concern. We believe that these smear campaigns aim to intimidate women and silence their voices. We reiterate that online harassment can manifest serious consequences of physical attacks, home invasions and, in the worst-case scenario, murder. We urge the Northern Ireland authorities to ensure the safety of journalists, including Patricia, immediately.
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.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.