December 27, 2021 – A Belgium court convicted a man, who had been abusing journalist and novelist Myriam Leroy online for more than nine years. The perpetrator was sentenced to ten months in prison with probationary reprieve following training on violence against women, a fine of 400 euros (partial suspension), and compensation of 3,000 EUR. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) welcomes the decision. This punishment proves that online abuse is a crime and can be prosecuted. We demand authorities to take the decision into an account and set precedent for other journalists who have been exposed to misogynist, sexist online attacks. 

On December 21, the Brussels Criminal Court sentenced the perpetrator of journalist Myriam Leroy to a 10-month suspended prison sentence, to undergo training on violence against women, and to pay 3,000 euros as compensation for acting constitute harassment. 

Between 2012 and 2017 Myriam was targeted online and subjected to sexist and anti-Semitic slurs. She had ended up filing a complaint about the sexist insults, contemptuous remarks, and violation of privacy she faced. The abuser, believing the comments to be an opinion, and therefore falling within the scope of freedom of expression, hoped to be tried by an assize court. However, his words were considered to be neither thought nor opinion. He was sentenced to a prison sentence. 

According to Myriam’s counsel, Me Benjamine Bovy, the court recognized and balanced the two criteria, freedom of expression and violation of privacy, as general interest but the insults, certain remarks, and the elements relating to the private life of Myriam made it clear. “All this did not consider the general interest, did not constitute a press offence, and therefore was criminally reprehensible, constituting harassment,” he said.

In 2021, the CFWIJ reported at least 96 cases of organized online abuse against women and LGBTQ+ journalists across the world. We welcome the court’s decision and extend solidarity to Myriam Leroy. Women journalists face online trolling on a daily basis, and some of them experience organized online abuse and systematic defamation campaigns. The court’s approach for Myriam’s case is a strong and symbolic decision for women journalists and has to be taken into account by other authorities. The court proves online abuse is a crime and can be punishable.