Most women journalists imprisoned in Iran and Turkey

The Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) has published a report on the rights violations suffered by women journalists in the first three months of 2023. According to CFWIJ, Iran and Turkey have the highest number of women in prison; 28 in Iran and 19 in Turkey. The report also states that 145 women journalists were attacked in the first three months of 2023 and that 100 journalists were in prison as of 30 April. It also highlights that Kurdish journalists are particularly targeted in Turkey, where repression is the highest after Iran.

Stating that 24 women journalists were physically attacked and 23 were legally harassed in the first three months of the year, the report notes a 4,3 percent increase in attacks on journalists compared to the first three months of 2022. According to the report, as of 30 April, a total of 100 women journalists were imprisoned, including 28 in Iran, 19 in Turkey, 15 in China, 9 in Belarus, 8 in Myanmar, 4 in Egypt, 3 in Russia, 3 in Vietnam, 3 in Ethiopia, 2 in Somalia, 2 in Palestine, 1 in Laos, 1 in Saudi Arabia, 1 in Syria, 1 in Hong Kong, 1 in the Philippines and 1 in Burundi.

The CFWIJ describes the Turkish state’s attacks on women journalists as follows: “The Turkish government leads the list of countries weaponizing the law to silence women journalists. Similar to the first quarter of 2022, Turkey has the highest number of legal harassment cases.” It is also stated that the authorities have consistently resorted to travel bans and false legal charges, including ‘insulting public officials’. Additionally, the CFWIJ concludes that the Turkish government has targeted Kurdish women journalists the most, cynically using terrorism charges to censor and persecute them. The report underlines that more needs to be done to ensure that women and LGBTQI journalists can work in a safe and supportive environment that enables them to carry out their work without fear of violence or intimidation.