November 23, 2020 – The ongoing death threats, including intimidations of rape against journalist Patricia Devlin and her baby son, continue to escalate. Patricia Devlin intends to seek legal action against the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) unless he can assure that the PSNI will conduct an immediate investigation into the violent threats against her. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is keeping a close eye on rising threats, though the absence of a legitimate investigation is of deep concern to us.  We urge PSNI to conduct a thorough inspection of the matter.

Police Chief Simon Byrne received the preliminary case protocol letter sent by the journalist's lawyers, warning that legal action will be taken if proper protection measures for the journalist are not provided. Should the journalist’s request continue to be ignored, an application for judicial review of the PSNI decision will be brought before the High Court. 

Patricia Devlin, an award-winning crime reporter for the Sunday World, received death threats in October 2019 via messages to her personal Facebook account. The threats against the journalist included intimidation of raping her newborn son. These threats were signed by the neo-Nazi terror group called Combat 18, which has been associated with Loyalist paramilitary forces in the past. 

The PSNI has subsequently failed to effectively investigate the vicious threats. There has been a detrimental lack of communication between PSNI and the Scottish authorities where the suspect is supposedly living. Last month, the journalist filed a complaint with the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman for PSNI's failure to investigate the threats. Patricia even wrote to the Scottish Police to ask for their assistance in the case. Throughout the inquiry, Patricia has not been apprised of any case developments. 

According to Amnesty International, Patricia is appealing to the PSNI for a commitment to immediately investigate the threats against her and ensure the safety of her family. Assuming that PSNI decides not to provide such assurance, the journalist is prepared to apply for a judicial review against them. PSNI is obligated to respond to Patricia’s requests by December 10, 2020. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism follows these appalling events with great concern. The constant targeting of women journalists over the  internet aims to intimidate women and silence their voices. Online harassment can carry severe consequences that could lead to physical attacks, home invasions and in the worst scenario, murder. We urge the Northern Ireland authorities to ensure the safety of journalists, Patricia included,  and to take concerns about online harassment seriously.