TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION: How Foreign-Repressive Governments Target Women Journalists in the West

On October 23, 2024, the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) hosted a crucial roundtable on transnational repression together with the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute. The event gathered leading voices in journalism, human rights, and national security to discuss how authoritarian regimes target women journalists who have sought refuge in democratic nations.

Speakers and Their Insights:

Kiran Nazish - Founding Director, Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ): “This is an interesting time to begin this event because we have one of our main speakers, Masih Alinejad.”

Daniel Stanton - Former Executive, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), now at the University of Ottawa: “The spread of transnational repression threatens not only individual journalists but the core principles of press freedom that our societies stand on.”

Masih Alinejad - Iranian-American Journalist and Activist: “I was sentenced to execution...for the crime of just speaking out, and yet, even here, they reach out to silence us.”

Yana Gorokhovskaia - Research Director for Strategy and Design, Freedom House: “Our recent reports reveal just how pervasive transnational repression has become, especially for journalists in exile.”

Rachel Pulfer - President, Journalists for Human Rights: “Relocating journalists is only one part of the solution. We must address the ongoing threats they face, even in exile.”

Brendan de Caires - Executive Director, PEN Canada: “Freedom of expression is under attack globally, and Canada, as a refuge, has a responsibility to protect these voices.”

Arzu Yildiz - Exiled Journalist from Turkiye: “Even here in Canada, I’m not safe... Erdogan’s regime placed me on a hit list, and my home was broken into.”

Noura Aljizawi - Senior Researcher, Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs: “Digital authoritarianism is a new frontier, targeting the marginalized and silencing dissent across borders.”

Marie Lamensch - Program Coordinator, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies: “The Canadian government can and must do more to counter transnational repression that threatens those seeking refuge here.”

The roundtable emphasized the urgent need for policies to protect exiled journalists and highlighted Canada’s role in safeguarding press freedom against foreign interference.