The Coalition For Women In Journalism is seriously concerned for the safety of its fellow member and freelance journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka, who was stranded for days after Uzbek officials at the Zhibek Zholy-Gisht Kuprik (Chernyaevka) border crossing denied her entry to the country. After braving the extreme cold at the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan border crossing for over 48 hours, without access to proper food or shelter, Agnieszka has been unreachable since Tuesday morning. The last time the CFWIJ heard from her she said "there is no food and it is very cold". According to her Twitter, she was permitted to buy an air ticket home and was due to fly out from the Tashkent airport this morning. The CFWIJ condemns the arbitrary denial of entry to the Polish citizen and freelance reporter for Al-Jazeera and The Guardian. We urge the authorities to immediately ensure her safety.

Journalist Anila Hoxha and her cameraman were almost killed when a police officer, who has since been dismissed, pushed them into an abyss as they approached prominent businessman Ruzhdi Hoxha’s murder site. Anila and her cameraman were reporting on the murder investigation and were at the site on Dajti mountain, where Ruzhdi Hoxha’s body was found. A video shared on the internet showed a police officer pushing the journalist and the cameraman in order to prevent them from filming the ongoing investigation. Anila and her cameraman fortunately managed to escape death and were pulled up from the edge by others on site. The abusive police officer was dismissed after the attack was widely criticized. However, this is not the first instance of mistreatment of journalists at the hands of the police in the country.

Several women journalist support networks arranged an event on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists to demand greater safety. The event was held as a virtual roundtable after by ActionAid Nigeria titled, ‘National Media Virtual Roundtable on Actioning Safety and Protection of Women Journalists in Nigeria: Reflections and Recommendations’. The event was preceded by a research paper published by the organization exploring the problems faced by women journalists and recommending potential solutions for it.