The World Liberty Congress expresses serious concern over the ongoing campaign of intimidation and harassment targeting journalist Hariana Veras following her reporting on the conflict in the Great Lakes region.
This campaign, which includes coordinated public attacks and attempts to discredit her work, bears the clear hallmarks of state-led intimidation and transnational repression. Such tactics are routinely employed by authoritarian regimes to silence independent journalism and deter scrutiny beyond their borders.
Ms. Veras is an experienced correspondent based in Washington. She is respected among her peers and has never been formally challenged for her professionalism, ethics, or journalistic integrity. Her reporting has focused on humanitarian realities, including the suffering of civilians affected by the war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo—an essential and legitimate area of journalistic work.
Discrediting a journalist on the basis of editorial choices, question framing, or subject selection is incompatible with press freedom. In democratic societies, journalists are not required to adopt the narratives, priorities, or language of governments. Disagreement with coverage does not constitute evidence of misconduct, bias, or lack of integrity.
This intimidation campaign is led by Rwandan authorities and must be assessed in light of Rwanda’s well-documented record on press freedom. International press freedom organizations consistently rank Rwanda among the lowest countries worldwide, citing censorship, surveillance, arbitrary arrests, forced exile, and the killing or disappearance of journalists—both inside the country and abroad.
In this context, the public targeting of a journalist operating internationally raises serious and legitimate concerns for her safety. Experience shows that campaigns of public discrediting by state actors often precede more severe forms of repression.
The World Liberty Congress calls on media organizations, press freedom institutions, and U.S. authorities to treat this situation with the seriousness it warrants. Journalists must be able to report on conflicts and humanitarian crises without fear of intimidation, retaliation, or cross-border harassment.
Press freedom is a cornerstone of democratic societies. Attempts to silence journalists through political pressure or intimidation must be unequivocally condemned.
