Fellow journalists and press freedom and freedom of expression and information take the spotlight at this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The International Association of Women in Radio and Television congratulates fellow journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov who jointly won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel committee awarded this prestigious peace prize to journalists from the Philippines and Russia for their ‘efforts to safeguard freedom of expression’. This, the Norwegian Nobel Committee also deems, is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.

“Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the committee. 

The award is accompanied by a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (US $1.14 million)

The recognition comes at a time when journalists are increasingly at risk the world over, especially female journalists in Afghanistan and many other hot spots. 

Co-founder of Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism, Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose growing authoritarianism in the Philippines. 

Dmitry Muratov, on the other hand, is a Russian journalist who founded the Novaya Gazeta, a news agency that is critical in its reporting and has served as its editor-in-chief since 1995.

IAWRT hopes this award becomes an opportunity for fellow press freedom advocates to hold the line and engage governments to protect a free press and to uphold people’s right to know.

IAWRT World Press Freedom Day statement 2021

The International Association of Women in Radio and Television gathered for an online protest on World Press Freedom Day 2021 to respond to so many human rights violations worldwide that put the lives of journalists at risk.

Our network has not been exempted from these violations. Here are some inhumane acts that some of our members have experienced

·       On December 10, 2020, journalist and IAWRT member Malalai Maiwand, and her driver, were killed in Afghanistan.

·       On the same day, Lady Ann Salem, our Communications Officer was arrested on possession of firearms and explosives trumped up charges. After almost three months, she was released after the court dismissed the charges as baseless and inconsistent.

·       Journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, IAWRT Philippines member is still in jail since February 7, 2020, arrested in a similar fashion and detained on similar charges as Icy was.

·       Several IAWRT members are working in countries reeling from war or grappling with the pandemic, both conditions have impeded or have been consciously used to restrict their duty of finding out and reporting the truth

With the steep rise in the attacks on journalists and a weakening in regulations protecting freedom of expression, indeed, women journalists and media workers, are in a very difficult situation.

The harassment of journalists not only affects media practitioners but shortchanges citizens who depend on the media to provide a critical service in society – denying people to access to truth which is a very sad reality.

A recent study by UNESCO, on online violence against women journalists, also shows that the majority of women journalists surveyed had experienced online violence relating to their work. Online violence against women journalists is used to silence independent voices, spread disinformation and undercut fact-based journalism.

In addition, more than 1,000 journalists have died due to COVID-19 according to the Press Emblem Campaign in April this year. Many of these deaths came as a result of a lack of protective equipment and unsafe working practices.

We stand with these struggles of journalists especially women journalists who, at the same time, continue to fight for their piece of airtime, for their spot in newsroom leadership and for women’s voices to be heard. We would also like to recognize the work that they have done and been doing as women journalists-truth tellers.

IAWRT joins all journalists and media workers from all over the world, to call for urgent measures to counter continuing threats and crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We pray for the day when journalists are reporting the news and not making the news, for COVID-safe newsrooms, and general safe environments for media practitioners.

IAWRT strongly condemns the brutal shooting of Malalai Maiwand and her driver in Afghanistan & the arrest of IAWRT’s Communication Officer Lady Ann Salem, in the Philippines

IAWRT strongly condemns the brutal shooting of Malalai Maiwand and her driver in Afghanistan

Malalai Maiwand was a 26 year old reporter at Enikass Radio and TV in Nangarhar in Afghanistan, renowned for her fight for women’s and children’s rights. She was a member of AWRT, affiliated with IAWRT. Malalai was shot by a gunman in Nengarhar Province in Afghanistan this morning. She was an active member of AWRT and other civil society groups and had been under threat for some time.

Maiwand is the second journalist killed in Afghanistan since mid-November. On November 12 Alyas Dayee was killed in a bomb blast in Helmand province. IAWRT demands that the authorities in Afghanistan investigate the murders of Malalai Maiwand and Alyas Dayee. 

IAWRT also strongly condemns the arrest of IAWRT Communications Officer, Lady Ann Salem, in the Philippines

Lady Ann Salem (known as Icy), who is journalist and also the editor of an alternative media outlet, Manila Today was arrested from her home on the morning of December 10 on unknown charges. 

Icy’s colleagues learned of a raid in her Mandaluyong house at 9:00 AM. Hours later Salem was found at the Criminal and Investigation and Detection Group facility of the Philippines police.

It is especially devastating that both the murder of Malalai Maiwand and the arrest of Lady Ann Salem happened on International Human Rights Day.

Icy was taken to court on Friday and is being charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The media outlet she works for, Manila Today was red-tagged (blacklisting as either a Communist or terrorist group, or both, by the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict – NTF-ELCAC).

Outside the Mandaluyong court, Icy told the media that the evidence was planted during the raid on her home.

Another IAWRT member from the Philippines, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who was arrested in Tacloban City in February on similar carges, based on ‘evidence’ found in a raid, is still in detention. 

IAWRT says the Philippine government must immediately release Lady Ann Salem and Frenchie Mae Cumpio, as well as investigate disappearances and wanton arrests of journalists and put an end to the harassment of all journalists and human rights defenders.  

“Instead of being the storytellers, journalists are fast becoming the story – being arrested, abducted, assaulted, and killed,” says IAWRT President Violet Gonda. 

“It’s normal for journalists to be the voice of the voiceless, but who is the voice for targeted journalists? Journalists can’t breathe! It is shocking that on the last day of UN Women’s 16 days of Activism against Gender based Violence we received the tragic news that our IAWRT members have been killed and arrested for just being journalists”. 

“It is the responsibility of governments to ensure that newsrooms and the communities in which journalists work, are safe spaces. The role of the State is to promote democracy, peace and good governance. This means allowing dissenting voices to be heard” she concluded.

In this year of the Covid-19 pandemic, journalists had to overcome new or deepening threats to press freedom, freedom of expression, their personal safety and safety at work.

IAWRT statement on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2020

*Committee to Protect Journalists data on murdered women journalists from 1992 to 2020.

Indu Ramesh was a longtime IAWRT member, beloved by those who met her and worked with her

The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) extends our sympathies to the loved ones and friends of Indu Ramesh who we have come to know passed away due to COVID-19.

“I am so sad to report that IAWRT member Indu Ramesh has died of COVID-19. in hospital in Bangalore, India. She and I met at the IAWRT conference in Delhi in 1999. She was a retired producer for All-India Radio, an author, and a longtime contributor to WINGS. And a good, close friend. Here is a photo I took of her at her home in 2015. She is talking to her neighbour Smita Ramanathan, whom Indu trained to be an excellent radio producer, too,” shared Frieda Werden, co-founder of WINGS: Women’s International News Gathering Service and IAWRT member from Canada.

Indu was ten years old when the country got Independence. She remembered Independence Day and things that happened before that. After completing her school education in Kannada medium in government schools across small towns all over the princely state of Mysuru, she studied Sociology and English Literature in the Maharaja’s College, Mysuru.

Writing was her passion and her first article was published in a well-known Kannada newspaper when she was just fifteen. She wrote many articles and short stories in Kannada and English.

She worked for more than thirty years with All India radio, retiring as Station Director, Commercial Broadcasting Station (Vividh Bharati), Bengaluru.

Under her directorship, the station won Best Station award twice in a row. Retirement was said to have honed her passion for radio.

She also produced programs for international news agency WINGS. Her radio show for WINGS on tribal women, “Forest Women Dwelling In India won an honourable mention at an international media competition.

Indu was known to be passionate about traditional Indian food and feeding friends and family.

Nonee Walsh, IAWRT member from Australia, shared a book Indu wrote and launched in 2017. Nonee said of the book, “A cookbook for every house, with a lot of stories about our favourite food items and tips to take care while cooking, published by Geetha Book House, Mysuru.”

Indu also wrote a novel in English “Four Tales and A Lifetime.” In this book in Kannada, she wrote about her battle with Guillain Barre Syndrome titled ‘Mrutyorma Amrutangamaya,” and a biography on Lakshmiiji, the founder of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Annsandhana Samsthana.

Indu hosted Nonee and Frieda in Bangalore in 2015 and after Nonee got back home, her book club read the book based on Indu’s life and some of her friends.

In September 2019, the Mitra Tantra Archive of Personal Narratives and Oral Histories published 81 short videos (from 20 seconds to 3 minutes) of Indu where she shared details and stories of her life.

Indu’s family posted this on her death:

Indu turned 82 in July.