Press freedom

"Küche,""Schreibtisch," "Ich gehe nach draussen" - small paper notes scrawled with German words and phrases are stuck to the doors, walls and furniture. Maria Isabel Gamez has covered her apartment with the white and yellow notes as way of helping her to learn German.

"I am in Germany because in 2009 it became too dangerous for me in my home country," explained the El Salvadorian. She was threatened with consequences for reporting on environmental crimes in the mining industry. She exposed social injustices, human rights abuses and corruption in the region of Santa Marta where she once lived.

At a certain point, it became difficult for her to remain in her journalistic role as an outside observer. She became an environmental activist and campaigner for civil rights. "It became hard to separate things," said Gamez.

Radio reporter at 13

Maria Isabel Gamez last worked managing the news editorial team at Radio Victoria, a private radio broadcaster founded by rebels during the civil war in El Salvador as a mouth-piece against the government. Her aunt was one of the founders and brought Gamez into the radio station at the young age of 13.

Gamez needed a job in order to provide financial support for her family. "It was there that I learned how to work as a radio reporter," she recalled. Today, Gamez says it was always clear to her that Radio Victoria was there to provide critical journalism free from censorship, and she knew that her work could become dangerous.

The 28-year-old has been in Germany for over a year now, thanks to funding from the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People. Her son is the main reason why she fled from El Salvador. Gamez explained how her son could no longer live like a normal child, let alone play outside: "We could only walk the streets with bodyguards."

No police protection

The danger was palpable. A report by the human rights organization Amnesty International listed Maria Isabel Gamez as under threat. Six people on motorbikes had been seen in the garden in front of her house. According to Amnesty International they had been peering through the windows of her home with flashlights, though Gamez was not at home that night.

After this, the police advised her to move, but she was told that her safety could not be guaranteed. Gamez remembers her son asking her why she was being threatened. As a young child, he could not understand what was happening.

Now, in Hamburg, the 9-year-old seems care-free, as if he had always lived here. In still shaky German, he says he likes living in Germany. He has found new friends, although none of them are German. Over the course of the last few months he has been attending so-called "integration classes" at an elementary school in Hamburg, which prepare children for regular school classes.

Journalists murdered in El Salvador

In El Salvador, Gamez had been the eldest member of her team and always felt a responsibility towards her colleagues. "I was bitter and felt outraged for having to leave my former colleagues behind because I should be protecting them," she said.

But it does not look like she will be able to return to El Salvador any time soon. This year, two of her colleagues were murdered. For that reason, the Hamburg Foundation has extended her funding for a further 6 months.

Gamez is not yet fully adjusted to her new life in Hamburg. She misses the everyday interaction with other people.

"I am actually used to having thousands of conversations each day. Not being able to communicate with people is frustrating," she said. In light of that, it is especially important to the young journalist to learn German.

Gamez continues to write reports for Radio Victoria and gives public lectures about the situation in El Salvador, the changes that have taken place since 1992 after the civil war and about her own work as a journalist in the country. Ideally, she would like to study.

"I want to broaden my horizons and maybe give up journalism altogether," she said contemplatively. She is considering studying to become a lawyer. One thing is certain, there remains so much more for her to achieve in the fight against corruption and human rights abuses.

Author: Janine Albrecht / hw

Editor: Kate Bowen