Transnational Repression: 2019 – 2024
Join us to explore how authoritarian regimes target women journalists in the West and the growing threat of transnational repression to press freedom organized by CFWIJ, in collaboration with PDI at the University of Ottawa.
Women Press Freedom identifies transnational repression as a significant threat to journalists who have fled authoritarian regimes, highlighting the increased use of tactics like surveillance, harassment, and violence to silence dissent beyond national borders.
These measures aim to intimidate journalists into self-censorship, even in supposedly safe countries. 50% of exiled women journalists targeted through transnational repression reside in the EU.
Women Press Freedom continues to document these violations, stressing the urgent need for international protections to ensure freedom of expression and safety for journalists globally.
Transnational Repression 2024
Countries that have targeted exiled women journalists in 2024
Overview
In 2024, Women Press Freedom has documented 67 cases of transnational repression aimed at silencing women journalists, a sharp increase from 19 cases reported in all of 2023. Most of the targeted live in Europe, with two in the United States. These violations were committed by Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, Turkiye, Ethiopia, Malaysia, and Venezuela, countries known for authoritarian governance and repression of the free press. Tactics included legal harassment, threats, intimidation, and denial of access to suppress independent journalism.
While many violations were legislative, countries like Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia have a history of physical assaults, abductions, and assassination attempts against exiled journalists. Women Press Freedom warns that transnational repression against women journalists is escalating, with host countries often unprepared to protect them. Journalists who have fled persecution should not face further harassment in their new homes.
Countries offering refuge must ensure these journalists' safety. Governments, especially in the EU and the US, should implement robust asylum policies to protect against foreign harassment and provide legal support for those facing unjust charges. Host countries must also investigate claims of transnational repression, including assassination attempts and threats, prosecute those responsible, and impose sanctions on offending nations.
Masha Gessen - Legal Harassment
Russian-US journalist Masha Gessen was convicted in absentia on July 15, 2024, by a Moscow court on charges of spreading false information about the military. Gessen, known for their critical stance against President Vladimir Putin, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The award-winning journalist, who holds dual US-Russian citizenship, lived in Russia until 2013, leaving after the country enacted stringent anti-LGBTQI laws. They have since resided in the United States, continuing their work from abroad. On August 19, 2024, they had their Australian visa application delayed, which they described as a "functional denial." A day after speaking publicly about the incident, their visa was finally granted.
Rula Jebreal - Legal Harassment
US-based Italian-Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal is facing a lawsuit by politician Fabio Rampelli following a tweet in which she accused him of involvement in a "fascist demonstration."
Residing in the United States, Jebreal has endured years of online smear campaigns and legal threats for speaking out against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her party. The harassment began in 2016 after Jebreal confronted Meloni, then a deputy, about her anti-immigrant and racist ideology. Jebreal tells WPF that members of Meloni's party intensified attacks on her, particularly during their election campaign, portraying her as a threat to Italy's culture and identity.
Sima Sabet - Assassination Attempt
“The IRGC's attempt to assassinate me through hired criminals on UK soil is an unequivocal act of terrorism,” targeted journalist Sima Sabet tells WPF. “As a journalist committed to the truth, I refuse to be intimidated by a suppressive regime that has killed Mahsa Amini and many others. As a UK citizen, I have the right to safety and freedom of speech.”
UK-based Iran International journalists Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad were the targets of a failed assassination attempt in 2022 orchestrated by Iranian spies.
The assassination plot was thwarted by a people-smuggler turned double agent, known as Ismail.
Elena Kostyuchenko, Irina Babloyan, and Natalia Arno - Poisoning
Exiled Russian journalists Elena Kostyuchenko, Irina Babloyan, and Natalia Arno, were poisoned in 2022 and 2023. The journalists previously reported critically on Russian politics and the invasion of Ukraine.
For over a century, poison has been employed as a means of assassination by Russian security services. Russian operatives have faced allegations of engaging in a series of lethal poisonings involving substances such as Novichok, which have targeted prominent figures. These incidents include the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the attempted assassination of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in the UK, and the killing of Alexander Litvinenko.
Top Perpetrators of Transnational Repression
More than 50% of exiled women journalists targeted through transnational repression reside in the EU.