Lucy Kassa (in Amharic: ሉሲ ካሳ (Lusī Kāsa)) is an Ethiopian journalist and war correspondent. For her coverage of the Tigray War, where she exposed and denounced the atrocities committed by the Ethiopian government, particularly the widespread rapes and sexual violence against the Tigrayan population, she was persecuted and forced into exile. Kassa is a political refugee in Europe.
Lucy Kassa | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Journalist, human rights defender  |
| Awards | |
Biography
editKassa originally wrote as a freelance journalist on development and economic issues in Ethiopia for a Norwegian magazine called Bistandsaktuelt.[1][2]
However, with the outbreak of war in her home region of Tigray in November 2020, she began documenting significant human rights violations.[3] The journalist faced numerous threats and an attack at her home, during which armed men stole her computer and documents.[4][5] She then decided to leave Ethiopia.[4][6] She has since lived in Europe, supported by an international organization, but does not share specific details about her location for security reasons.[1]
Work
editThrough her work, Kassa drew international attention to the victims of the war and the suffering of the civilian population, particularly women and children.[3] Her articles, notably in Al Jazeera, the LA Times, The Telegraph, and The Globe and Mail, exposed crimes such as ethnic cleansing, massacres, sexual violence, and war crimes.[2][7] Kassa countered misinformation and propaganda, uncovered hidden atrocities committed by all parties in the conflict, and thus influenced international reactions, including sanctions against war criminals.[1][3][8] Her contributions to investigative journalism have received several awards, including the Magnitsky Award,[3] and have been mentioned notably in British parliamentary debates[9] and in a U.S. Senate resolution.[10] In 2022–2023, she received the Anna Politkovskaya Award[11][12][13] and the Amnesty Media Award.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Journalist Hopes Coverage on Ethiopia's Tigray Will Bring Justice". Voice of America. 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ a b "Crimes sexuels. Au Tigré, le viol devient une arme de guerre". Courrier international (in French). 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ a b c d "Lucy Kassa | The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards". 2022-11-29. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ a b Kassa, Lucy (2021-02-11). "I reported on Ethiopia's secretive war. Then came a knock at my door". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Ethiopie : une journaliste agressée et menacée à son domicile | RSF". rsf.org (in French). 2021-02-10. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Lucy Kassa on the dangers journalists face for uncovering truths in war". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Lucy Kassa". Oslo Freedom Forum. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Ethiopia: Journalist attacked and threatened with death / FIJ". www.ifj.org (in French). 2021-02-11. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ European Union News, 16 Novembre 2022, Speech of Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood) (Lab) On (16 November 2022) https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-11-16/debates/6C220959-7FB7-4F55-B64C-91123C2E4793/ConflictInEthiopia Archived 2024-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Congressional Record, Volume 167 Issue 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)". www.govinfo.gov. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Bearing witness. Anna Politkovskaya Award winner Lucy Kassa on the horrors of the war in Tigray and its legacy of injustice". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ aviketos (2024-04-07). "Το βραβείο Anna Politkovskaya στην δημοσιογράφο Lucy Kassa". Aristides Viketos. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "WOW Festival: Στη δημοσιογράφο Λούσι Κάσα απονεμήθηκε το Βραβείο Άννα Πολιτκόφσκαγια για το 2023". euronews (in Greek). 2024-04-08. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ ""La vérité finit toujours par éclater" : Lucy Kassa, la journaliste qui se bat pour que les crimes de guerre en Ethiopie ne restent pas impunis". Franceinfo (in French). 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
