Location: Qatar
Date: February 2, 2021

Broadcast journalist Ghada Oueiss is committed to fighting back the vicious online smear campaign against her, reportedly led by Saudi leadership. Ghada has filed a lawsuit against Saudi and Emirati regimes stating that her privacy was compromised to tarnish her character and career. The journalist has always presented a critical view on human rights abuses in the Middle East and Gulf states. CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Ghada in her pursuit of the unjustified torment she suffered.

Ghada suffered a smear campaign of online abuse in July 2020. Her phone was hacked and her (doctored) private images were shared all over Twitter Saudia to assassinate her character. Ghada believes that it was incomprehensible for Saudi and Emirati regimes that a woman journalist could have a critical voice.

The journalist believes that Israeli spyware was used to hack her phone. Ghada feels terrified to date how she was targeted. The journalist still fears for her family’s safety as well. But she is committed to fighting abuse of power and threats to journalists. The journalist believes that the lawsuit will expose the organized networks of trolls working for the Saudi regime and also their American allies.

Ghada demands that the new American administration must protect the rights of journalists according to the constitution and end any legal immunity against Saudi leadership in US courts. She hopes that justice will finally be served for her late friend Jamal Khashoggi and the Biden administration shall hold Saudi leadership responsible for their heinous crimes.

The journalist tweeted on Thursday that, “ it is funny that the networks who run these cyberbullying campaigns are stupid enough to continue these crimes even when reported before the honourable court and public, thank you.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in unity with Ghada Oueiss against the cyberbullying she faced. We hope that the lawsuit filed by the journalist will produce substantial results for her safety. We urge that the Biden administration take steps to stop the human rights violations and grave threats to journalists' safety reported against the Saudi regime.

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.