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PRESS FREEDOM STATUS FOR WOMEN JOURNALISTS: APRIL 2021 2021 MONTHLY REPORT ABOUT US The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) 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. Our network 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. This report was developed with the support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies. Executive Editor: Kiran Nazish Research: Aimun Faisal, Ceren İskit, Ayesha Khalid, Damla Tarhan Design: Damla Tarhan [email protected] | wwww.womeninjournalism.org | Twitter: @CFWIJ PRESS FREEDOM STATUS FOR WOMEN JOURNALISTS: APRIL 2021 Throughout the month of April, The Coalition For Women In Journalism reported on an astonishing 51 cases of violence against women journalists around the world. The following report presents a detailed survey of the safety violations against women journalists during April 2021. One woman journalist was killed: United States: Journalist Aviva Okeson-Haberman was found dead in her apartment on Friday, April 23, from what appears to be a gunshot wound. Okeson-Haberman was a young radio journalist cherished by her colleagues and friends. The police are investigating the circumstance around her death. While nine were attacked in the field: Turkey: Police intervened in the Boğaziçi University’s student protests which took place today in İstanbul. More than 30 students were detained and many journalists including women reporters were deliberately prevented and brutally attacked by the police. At least four women journalists, who were at the scene, were affected by tear gas and beaten. United States: At least three women journalists who were covering the protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota sparked by the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20- year old Black man, were assaulted by the police. Turkey: Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Diren Yurtsever was physically assaulted by the police while covering the Kobani Trial which took place in Ankara. Lebanon: MTV Lebanon News correspondent Joyce Akiki was attacked by Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) supporters, during her live coverage about the protest between two judge supporters at Palace of Justice in Beirut. Four women journalists received violent threats: Uzbekistan: Agnieszka Pikulicka, journalist and fellow at The Coalition For Women In Journalism, shared images of two cars parked outside her house on April 4. The journalist is facing state-backed intimidation for covering the torture of Miraziz Bazarov, an activist and LGBT rights supporter. Miraziz was brutally tortured on March 29 by radicals, and Agnieszka has followed the details of his treatment. The Philippines: Chiara Zambrano from ABS-CBN, and her news team were on an assignment in the west Philippines sea close to Palawan province when they were threatened by Chinese naval authorities. France: Nadiya Lazzouni received an anonymous letter at her private residence. The letter was replete with sexist and Islamophobic slurs and included death threats. Nadiya believes that she was targeted for her religious visibility and expressed great fear about the implications of the perpetrator's access to her residential address. Northern Ireland: Patricia Devlin was again targeted on social media after her coverage of the actions of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). This has become a regular occurence. Devlin, who is a crime reporter has faced similar threats in the past, any time she reported on the loyalist groups operating within Ireland. And 15 faced detention: Myanmar: Journalist Thin Thin Aung was abducted by the state on April 8, and is currently in state custody. Following her detention, the state forces raided her home, seized her belongings, and destroyed all her journalistic work. Myanmar: Myo Myat Myat Pan, an ex-employee of Myitkyina News Journal, was abducted by police authorities on April 14. The journalist was reportedly arrested on orders from the military council. Russia: Russian authorities raided the homes of four student journalists, two of whom are young women, as well as the homes of their parents. The journalists were targeted for demanding their civil right to protest and have since been detained on criminal charges. Kyrgyzstan: Four journalists, including two women journalists, were detained by the police on three separate occasions during their coverage of the national elections. At least one of these reporters was also attacked in the field by a civilian. Turkey: Journalists Serpil Ünal and Kardelen Yoğungan were detained for covering the press statement held by Sinbo workers who were dismissed because of their union membership in Istanbul. The journalists were released after their statements were taken. Russia: Journalist Katya Arenina was detained by security forces in the region while she was investigating reports about torture in the penal facility present there. While the journalist was released shortly after, this was clearly an attempt to intimidate her and discourage her from pursuing the story. Russia: Russian law enforcement authorities detained at least three women journalists from different parts of the country while they were covering pro-Navalny protests. Yulia Suguyeva, Bariyat Idrisova, Ksenia Klochkova were detained in Makhachkala and St. Petersburg. Turkey: After four-day detention, journalist Beritan Canözer was called to the court without prior notice and the prosecutor requested her arrest. Due to the confidential nature of the investigation, no further information was given to her relatives and lawyers. Turkey: Police attacked the gathering of the Sinbo and SML Label workers to ban May 1, Labour Day organisations. 40 people were detained, including Jin News reporter Sena Dollar and Kızıl Bayrak reporter Kardelen Yoğungan. The reporters were also battered by the police. Both journalists were released after their testimonies were taken. 11 women journalists were legally harassed: Colombia: In the latest development of the defamation case against Vicky Dávila, the Labor Cassation Chamber of the Colombian Supreme Court has reversed the journalist’s once-successful appeal. The Supreme Court upheld the previous ruling of the appellate court on October 15, 2020, which ordered the journalist to pay over $43,421 in damages to the family of a police colonel. Turkey: The first hearing of the trial against the imprisoned journalists Şehriban Abi and Nazan Sala was held in Van. Journalist Zeynep Durgut who covered the case was also indicted. The hearing against Abi and Sala started with restrictions against many journalists and NGOs who wanted to follow the case and ended with journalists’ release. The court ruled the release of all imprisoned journalists conditionally. Turkey: The first hearing of the trial against journalist Melis Alphan on the charge of "spreading terrorist propaganda" was held in Istanbul. The court postponed the next hearing to 21 May 2021. Turkey: In the third hearing of the trial against Gazete Yolculuk reporter Buse Söğütlü on terrorism charges, the court ordered the trial prosecutor to prepare its judicial opinion and demanded an additional defence from Buse on the allegation of ‘insulting a public official. The next hearing was postponed to September 14, 2021. Turkey: The 13th hearing of the trial against journalists Semiha Şahin and Pınar Gayıp was held in İstanbul. The court ruled incomplete elements of the case-file to be completed and adjourned the trial to July 14, 2021. Russia: Mariya Nuykina was detained, arrested, and fined by Russian police authorities for covering protest movements. In response, Mariya filed a court appeal against the convictions. If accepted, the appeal will protect her from similar state persecution in the future and clear her of all charges. However, Mariya believes the court is unlikely to overturn the charges. Turkey: The second hearing of the trial against Yeni Yaşam Newspaper Managing Editor İnci Aydın on the charge of "spreading terrorist propaganda for an organization" was held in Istanbul. The court ruled to acquit the journalist. Hong Kong: Award-winning freelance producer Bao Choy was convicted on April 22, by a Hong Kong court for submitting false statements to obtain public records. The journalist had obtained the data to determine the police handling of riots against pro-democracy demonstrations and media in July 2019. Turkey: First hearing of the trial against journalists Rojda Aydın, Nurcan Yalçın and Halime Parlak over the charges with ‘being participants in a prohibited gathering, defying police orders to disband’ was held in Mardin. The court adjourned the next hearing to October 13. Four women journalists were physically assaulted in the field: Turkey: Three female journalists covering the press release of the May-Day Platform in Istanbul were physically assaulted and verbally harassed by the police. They were also deliberately prevented from filming the gathering. Mexico: Correspondent for Multimedios Television, Vianca Maleny Trevino Nevejar, was assaulted by police and detained in the early morning on Friday, April 9. The police illegally seized her belongings and tried to access her online accounts. One case of sexual harassment came to light: Kenya: Journalist Judie