‘May – the deadliest month for women journalists this year’

According to a report released by the Coalition For Women In Journalism in New York, May was the deadliest month for women journalists this year, with at least five recorded fatalities (CFWIJ).

Shireen Abu Akleh was slain by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, Francisca Sandoval was shot and killed during a protest in Chile, and Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garca Olivera were killed outside a Mexican supermarket. The former two were killed while on the job, whereas the latter two were targeted because of their occupation.

Maryam Madadi was killed in a series of explosions in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, which targeted passenger buses.

Arbitrary arrests, legal harassment, physical and sexual harassment, internet violence, threats, and intimidation have all been experienced by female journalists around the world. Throughout May 2022, the non-profit organisation documented up to 40 incidences of press infractions.

On May 9, Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garca Olivera, the director and reporter of the online news portal El Veraz, were shot and killed outside a convenience store in Mexico. The ostensibly targeted attack took place in broad daylight. After the apparent murders of Yessenia and Sheila, the country has seen a rash of journalist homicides this year, with the death toll reaching 11. The recent spike in violence against journalists in the United States is concerning.

Armed groups, powerful economic and political elites, and criminal elements all pose risks to the press. In 2022, four of the 11 journalists killed were women who had been targeted because of their gender or occupation. Ramiro Mollinedo Falconi, Yessenia’s brother and a journalist, stated she was constantly intimidated by El Veraz over her coverage of crime. Local journalists have criticised the government for failing to protect them.

Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian journalist and Al Jazeera correspondent, was shot in the head on May 11 while reporting an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raid in Jenin, occupied West Bank. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Armed groups, powerful economic and political elites, and criminal elements all pose risks to the press. In 2022, four of the 11 journalists killed were women who had been targeted because of their gender or occupation. Ramiro Mollinedo Falconi, Yessenia’s brother and a journalist, stated she was constantly intimidated by El Veraz over her coverage of crime. Local journalists have criticised the government for failing to protect them.

Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian journalist and Al Jazeera correspondent, was shot in the head on May 11 while reporting an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raid in Jenin, occupied West Bank. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Since Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship ended in 1990, the 29-year-old was Chile’s first journalist to be slain. During the event, violence erupted after protestors attempted to access commercial premises, prompting the arrest of a street vendor for reportedly opening fire on the journalist.

Maryam Madadi, a former radio journalist, was killed in a series of explosions in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, on May 25. Three minibuses were targeted in various parts of the city, and explosive devices were placed inside the cars. At least nine individuals were murdered and 15 others were injured in the attack.

After the attacks, Daesh claimed credit. Maryam worked at the Rabia Balkhi radio station in Balkh until it closed lately.