Prominent broadcast journalist and Coalition For Women In Journalism member Asma Shirazi has been hit with yet another government-backed organized troll campaign. Reacting to a column penned by Asma in BBC Urdu, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s official Twitter account posted a video purportedly of a mobile phone conversation between Asma and thrice ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The ruling party’s Twitter handle attempted to discredit and align Asma and accused her of “obedience” to a “certified chor [thief] and absconder”. The CFWIJ condemns the use of such rhetoric by the party, which leads Pakistan’s federal government. Such acts by a government already under criticism for encroaching on the freedom of the press, in a country known for its frequent violations against journalists, place a target on journalists’ backs.

Senior journalist Gharidah Farooqi has been hit with yet another onslaught of vitriol and a deeply gendered harassment campaign against her on social media. In an attack launched two days ago, vicious trolls have dragged her name into some explicitly doctored video clips.

Journalist Christy Somos received vile emails after politician Maxime Bernier tweeted out her email addresses alongside several of her colleagues. Displeased by their coverage of his work, and their line of inquiry, Bernier encouraged his supporters to “play dirty”, thus initiating a violent targeted harassment campaign against the journalists. Although later taken down, the journalists faced hostile digital attacks as a result of his statement.

Cathy Macherel was targeted with vicious insults by far-right essayist and filmmaker Alain “Soral'' Bonnet. In a video published on Facebook, Soral targeted Cathy with deeply gendered attacks as well as homophobic insults. The nature of the video was threatening enough for Cathy to register a report with law enforcement agencies.

A teenager has pleaded guilty for harassing and stalking BBC journalist Aileen Moynagh. The boy, whose name cannot be revealed due to his minor status, is seventeen years of age and originally from Dublin. He had harassed Aileen digitally as well as physically for several months starting in October 2020, forcing her to leave her place of residence out of security concerns. The boy has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and autism.

Journalist Yumna Fawaz was targeted with a vicious online campaign after she demanded that President Michel Aoun be held accountable for the Beirut port explosion in 2020. Following the tweet, Fawaz was targeted by supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), a political party founded by Aoun, as well as its ally Hezbollah. This is not the first time Fawaz has been targeted by members of the FPM, which makes her feel very concerned for her safety.

Journalist Sandi Bachom was targeted with hate speech after sharing her criticism about the anti-Covid-19 vaccination on social media. An anti-vaccine supporter sent her a hateful email questioning her profession and insulted the journalist with misogynistic messages. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is utterly dismayed by the hate speech against Sandi. We stand in solidarity with Sandi on this matter and demand a prudent approach to journalists working in perverse conditions during the pandemic.

Journalist and Youtuber Javeria Siddique was targeted online by trolls after she pointed out the wrong approach of a male journalist on an important and sensitive subject. Journalist Imran Riaz Khan who is a current affairs host on the GNN TV channel, issued a problematic statement on the murder of Noor Muqadam (a 27-year-old girl who was beheaded by Zahir Jaffer on 21 July at his residence) on his YouTube channel.

An attempt was made to hack into the phone of Irina Pankratova, a journalist associated with the publication, The Bell. Irina’s employer organization confirmed the news on their Telegram channel, the attackers tried to access phone and text communication records of the journalist, however remained unsuccessful in doing so. The attacker is yet to be identified. Even though the motive behind the attack is not apparent, Irina is not the first person who has been targeted in this manner in the country, raising concern within civil society.

Journalist Berna Kişin was deliberately targeted by the pro-government Memleket Newspaper, following her coverage of the assassination of seven people in the same family in Konya. The news outlet alleged that the journalist wrote a pro-terrorist story. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the news outlet targeting the journalist. As the coalition, we stand in solidarity with Berna. No journalist should be targeted as a result of the coverage they do.

Journalist Berna Kişin was deliberately targeted by the pro-government Memleket Newspaper, following her coverage of the assassination of seven people in the same family in Konya. The news outlet alleged that the journalist wrote a pro-terrorist story. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the news outlet targeting the journalist. As the coalition, we stand in solidarity with Berna. No journalist should be targeted as a result of the coverage they do.

Bağımsız gazeteciler Canan Kaya ve Nevşin Mengü, Türkiye’de alevlenen göçmen tartışmalarının ardından mesleklerini finanse etmek amacıyla kazandıkları uluslararası fonlar gerekçe gösterilerek hedef gösterildi. Gazeteciler sosyal medyada birçok kullanıcının nefret söylemine maruz kaldı. Gazetecilikte Kadın Koalisyonu (CFWIJ) olarak gazetecilere yönelik çirkin saldırıları kınıyoruz. Bağımsız olarak mesleğini sürdüren ve özgür basını savunan gazetecilerin yanındayız.

Independent journalists Canan Kaya and Nevşin Mengü were targeted for being funded by international organisations after the refugee discussions were flared up in Turkey. Journalists were subjected to racist attacks and hate speech on social media. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) condemns the outrageous attacks on journalists. We stand with journalists who pursue their job independently and defend a free press.

A website targeting Muslim women including those in the news media industry was discovered earlier this month and was eventually taken down after public outrage. The website, titled “Sulli Deals” consisted of profiles of at least 90 different women who were “on sale”. Men would subsequently “bid” on these profiles to harass the women. Although a comprehensive list of all women on the site has not been made public in order to ensure the privacy of those targeted, several women have come out in condemnation. Among them was ThePrint’s Senior Correspondent Fatima Khan whose profile was up on the website.

Anna Mongayt, a presenter for Dozhd TV, received online threats after interviewing a same-sex couple for Elle magazine. She revealed the details of the threats against her in a Facebook post. Reportedly, the supporters of a right-wing movement sent unsettling messages to Anna over Instagram. Followers of a movement called Male State called her a "creature" and warned her, "walk and look around". CFWIJ is alarmed by the callous nature of these attacks. As online threats morph far too often into physical assaults, we demand immediate action against the perpetrators behind these threats.