We condemn the murder of journalist Kim Wall

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, August 25 - We condemn the murder of our colleague, Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall, and demand rigorous action towards the safety of women journalists in the field.

Wall was targeted for her journalist work. She was reported missing, under suspicious circumstances on August 12th, while reporting on an amateur-built submarine that had sunk off the coast of Copenhagen. Her murder took place on August 10th or 11th.

CFWIJ called out on Danish authorities to immediately take rigorous action to investigate the disappearance of Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall. Wall’s death has taken from us a driven, motivated and irreplaceable journalist.

Earlier, The Coalition released a statement urging authorities to act faster to relocate Wall and bring her back to safety. “There should be a vigilant investigation. So far, we are disappointed with the amount of information being released by the authorities, considering they have access to individuals who were on board the submarine.” said the Coalition’s Director, Kiran Nazish.

The police report stated that the man reported dropping her off on a redeveloped island in Copenhagen’s harbor into their Thursday night trip. The statement indicated suspicions of murder of the missing journalist but as ABC News reported the statement “did not identify the submarine’s owner, Peter Madsen, 46, but the Danish inventor’s financing of the project through crowdfunding and first launch of the UC3 Nautilus in 2008 made headlines.”

“Her disappearance and the police report, is alarming to the journalist community worldwide and we will continue to get involved in investigating her case further,” said Kiran Nazish “As a community we all need to call on the Danish authorities for a thorough and rigorous investigation for our missing colleague Kim Wall. The safety and security of our colleague is of utmost importance and we will not be taking it lightly,” said the Coalition’s Head of Advocacy and Collaborations, Elle Toussi.

Although Denmark is not considered a dangerous region for journalists to be on assignment, there are clear definitive answers that need to be reached with regard to her whereabouts,” Elle Toussi said. The Coalition for Women in Journalism will be involved in investigating this disappearance, until answers are found.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ.

Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org