Netherlands: CFWIJ condemns the online hate speech against Egyptian journalist Reem Abdellatif

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February 12, 2021 – Egyptian journalist Reem Abdellatif was targeted with an online threat over her journalistic coverage. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is utterly dismayed by these organised trolling campaigns against journalists. We demand Dutch authorities to ensure the journalist’s safety. Escalating online threats against journalists could cause severe consequences. 

Egyptian journalist Reem Abdellatif, former Al-Monitor reporter and the founder of Redefined Communications, was subjected to online threats over an email she received to her Dutch-registered business account. 

The journalist announced the threat which she exposed from her Twitter account. She said, “Just received hate mail to my Dutch-registered business account. "Saudi Queen" believes that by threatening me, she/he will make Saudi Arabia look good. They end with: "Die with anger & expect retaliation soon." She also underlined that she was targeted by the threats over her journalistic activities. “The more I write, the more they squirm. I won't be silenced again,” she added.

Her colleague Ghada Oueiss also shared a solidarity post about Reem was exposed to. She expressed, “Support & Solidarity with you Reem and all the victims of the terrible online harassment. Keep Strong,”

Broadcast journalist Ghada Oueiss is also committed to fighting back the vicious online smear campaign against her, reportedly led by Saudi leadership. Ghada has filed a lawsuit against Saudi and Emirati regimes stating that her privacy was compromised to tarnish her character and career. The journalist was targeted with a brutal online smear campaign in July 2020. Her phone was hacked and her (doctored) private images were shared all over Twitter Saudia to assassinate her character. 

Reem Abdellatif is a successful bi-lingual journalist with more than ten years of experience in the MENA and Gulf region. The journalist's fields of work focus on business, economic development and women's issues.

Since the beginning of 2021, the CFWIJ documented at least 15 organised trolling campaigns against women journalists. The constant targeting of female reporters online aims to intimidate and silence their voices. Organised trolling campaigns can carry severe consequences that could lead to physical attacks, home invasions and in the worst scenario, murder. We urge the Dutch authorities to ensure the safety of the journalist and to take concerns about these vicious attacks seriously.