Gabriela Ramirez

🚨 Poland’s New Border Law: Protection or Human Rights Violation? Poland just passed a law allowing authorities to suspend asylum applications at the border for up to 60 days—extendable with parliamentary approval. Officials claim it’s a security measure against Belarus weaponizing migration, but human rights groups warn it traps vulnerable people in danger and violates international law. Our newsroom has been reporting on the Eastern European migration crisis since 2021, covering everything from the mental toll on activists helping migrants to human rights violations by Polish border guards—some with deadly consequences. What do you think? Is this a 'necessary' step for national security, or is it a dangerous precedent violating human rights? Let us know your thoughts in the comments 👇 Read about this and other migration reporting at unbiasthenews.org #Poland #Borders #Migration #HumanRights #Refugees #FortressEurope #EU #Belarus #Migrants #Journalism

✨A huge honor to have received the Fetisov Journalism Award 2024 on the Contribution to Civil Rights for our work “Widowed by Europe’s Borders” published by @unbiasthenews as part of the #BorderGraves Investigation. I am absolutely grateful for this recognition and truly inspired to continue doing accountability journalism. Journalism that stands for human rights and seeks dignity and justice for our sources. I can’t give enough thanks to Sanooja, the protagonist in our piece, whose courage shaped the heart of our story. She allowed us into her life at its most fragile moment and let us not only witness it, but hold space for grief, anger, dignity. What she has lived is not an isolated tragedy—it’s a mirror reflecting the long shadow of Europe’s border policies, reaching far beyond its borders. We are witnessing the rise of a cruel logic—where borders have become states of exception, where human rights are suspended, and death is explained away as collateral damage. We’re told it’s complicated. That it’s inevitable. But it’s not. It is a choice. And our job, as journalists, is to expose that choice—again and again—until it can no longer be ignored. Can’t end without expressing my most deepest gratitude to my family and friends who have been with me throughout the highs and lows of doing investigative journalism as a migrant journalist. Your support is what keeps my heart believing! So much love! Many more thanks go to all the humanitarian workers we interviewed for this story doing invaluable work along the Belarusian borders. Thanks to @unbiasthenews , the rest of the Border Graves team, @journalismfund #IJ4EU @ejcfoundation for their support ✨

It has been an honor to receive the ‘Special Award’ by the European Press Prize 2024 (The awards for excellence in journalism) @europeanpressprize for our collaborative work on the cross-border investigation #BorderGraves We identified over 1000 graves of migrants who died trying to reach Europe and were buried without names. We visited 65 cemeteries across the EU. For this investigation, I covered the Eastern European borders between Lithuania, Poland and Belarus and reported deeply human-center stories for my newsroom Unbias The News, focusing on Lithuania, for Süddeutsche Zeitung with focus in Poland and for The Guardian with an overview of the situation across Europe. I am absolutely proud of the work each of our Border Graves investigation team members put to make this investigation possible. I can truly tell you that this wouldn’t have been possible if any of us had put so much more extra work, extra hours and even personal resources to be able to do the investigation we envisioned despite the limited resources we had. That’s also one of the reasons why this recognition for a team of mainly freelance journalists become so much more valuable and reassuring. Well done team 💫✨ Over 40 stories published across more than 20 outlets in 8 countries. We created a globally impactful groundbreaking investigation. A special shoutout to my dear friend and colleague Tina Xu, whose belief in this project and tireless sacrifices brought our team together and made it all possible. Border Graves Team: Tina Xu Danai Maragoudaki Daphne Tolis Leah Pattem Eoghan Gilmartin Gabriele Cruciata Barbara Matejcic and me Gabriela Ramírez . #journalism #migration #europe #international

Today, I am honored to be joining the discussion Crises in Context, organized by @jxfund and @reporterohnegrenzen alongside journalists from Iran and Syria. We will be discussing what it means to report on a country you can no longer freely work in. The pressures on exile media. The relationship between journalism and activism under repression. And the responsibility we carry toward the people whose stories we tell. I left Venezuela in 2018 under very different circumstances than the ones many of my colleagues in exile have left. I wasnt threatened because of my work, but the state of the country made it impossible not to leave. Fast forward, I have come to realize that that is its own kind of exile. Looking forward to the conversation. If you are in Berlin, join us at @publixberlin

📢 New Fractured episode! 📢 We’re thrilled that @higabyramirez joined us again, this time, to discuss how the situation in Venezuela is after Maduro’s removal from power and what challenges Venezuelans face both inside and outside the country. 🔗 Watch the full episode: link in the bio Also available on Spotify: Fractured - ReFOCUS Media Labs #podcast #journalism #Venezuela

We are happy to share that our opinion piece in “Venezuela Without Venezuelans" has now been translated into Spanish by our partners at @open_democracy expanding access to a conversation that directly concerns Spanish-speaking audiences and helping us reach them. In this piece, our journalist Gabriela Ramírez reflects on how dominant media narratives are constructed —who is quoted, who is considered credible, and how abstraction replaces lived experience in coverage of complex political and social realities. The piece challenges the idea that distance equals objectivity and argues that excluding affected communities is not neutral but structural. Read the piece and reflect on how crisis reporting is framed and whose voices are centered when it is. Link in bio. #venezuela #media #accountability

🇻🇪 Our latest opinion piece by our own Gabriela Ramírez takes us to her homeland, #Venezuela where international media coverage has largely framed the country through the lenses of geopolitics, international law, oil interests, and U.S. foreign policy. These debates have pushed something essential to the margins: the lived experiences of Venezuelans who have endured years of repression, fear, detention, and economic collapse. “In the rush to condemn Washington’s power, the violence and repression Venezuelans have endured for years were relegated to a footnote,” she writes. When crises are reduced to abstractions, people become symbols instead of political subjects. This is not a neutral editorial choice; it shapes public empathy and determines whose suffering is deemed visible or expendable. “Venezuelans do not need to be rescued by the narrative; we need to be present in it,” Gabriela continues. This piece reflects on how media narratives erase Venezuelans at the very moment the world claims to be paying attention and why centering human voices is not “emotional,” but essential journalism. 🔗 Read: Venezuela without Venezuelans by Gabriela Ramírez Link in bio #media #journalism #venezuelans

I woke up at 8 a.m. to calls and messages from my family and friends-2 a.m. in Caracas. My dad said he woke up when the house started moving and thought it was an earthquake. Since then, my morning has been an emotional roller coaster, with moments of joy, fear, worry, and anxiety. This is an important and sensitive moment for Venezuelans, filled with uncertainty but also with deep attention to what comes next. Thank you all for checking in and following with us as this moment continues to unfold 🇻🇪🙏 #venezuela

If a person goes missing, you go to the police. But what if the police were involved? More than 60.000 people have gone missing under the watch of governments in the last 40 years in at least 100 countries, according to the UN Report of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Only 2024 alone saw the largest spike in “enforced disappearances” in 20 years. Yet, despite these staggering numbers, most governments fail to conduct thorough searches, investigations, or prosecutions. Instead, it’s civic society that’s leading the search for answers and justice. For our #DemocracyPlaybook, our journalists Dil Afrose Jahan (Bangladesh) and Meredith Jackson (Uruguay) followed the social movements, piecing together the pieces and fighting for justice for the missing through different alliances with civic society. Our Multimedia Editor, Gabriela Ramirez, summarizes their work on this short video and explains how communities worldwide are demanding accountability. You can read their full reports. Visit unbiasthenews.org #enforceddisappearances #missingpeople #uruguay #bangladesh

What happens when your president promises freedom, but brands himself "the world's coolest dictator"? El Salvador’s mass incarceration plan under Bukele is being praised, exported, and copied. But at what cost? ▪️ Over 85,000 detained—many without charges or trial ▪️ CECOT, a mega-prison, houses thousands under extreme conditions ▪️ The U.S. State Dept. found evidence of torture, starvation, and deaths ▪️ Some U.S. politicians now want to import this model Our journalist and columnist Lya Cueller @littlelya_ explores how El Salvador’s regime blends authoritarian control with digital hype. From Bitcoin to mass surveillance, creating what she calls a crypto-carceral state. Why are far-right and tech elites—from Trump to Thiel—so drawn to it? Is El Salvador exporting safety or selling a blueprint for tech-powered authoritarianism? Check out our latest opinion piece for the Democracy Playbook. Opinion: El Salvador is the far-right’s dream crypto-carceral state – and it’s failing Written by Lya Cuéllar Illustration by Yorgos Konstantinou Video: Gabriela Ramirez #bukele #trump #pandillas #elsalvador #derechoshumanos #humanrights #democracyplaybook

🚨 New Episode of #FRACTUREDpodcast is 🎧 Live now 🎙️S04E22: “Widowed By Europe's Borders” A Border Graves Investigation  Fetisov and Lorenzo Natali award-winning investigative journalist Gabriela Ramirez @higabyramirez , discusses her investigative journalism story "Widowed by Europe's Borders” about Sanooja's frantic fight to find her husband Sanrim, who went missing in the forest after being illegally pushed back by Lithuanian authorities. The couple from Sri Lanka, highlights the struggles faced by migrants at European borders, and the grim reality of over 30,000 deaths along Europe's borders in the past decade, most of which unfold in total obscurity.  Gabriela and our cofounder Douglas Herman @dfherman delve into the ethical dilemmas of reporting on such sensitive topics, the personal connections formed during the reporting process, and the broader implications of migration policies in Europe. Gabriela emphasizes the importance of humanizing migrant stories and the ongoingfight for justice faced by families of missing migrants, and the human rights all people deserve, even after death. Watch, listen, share, and support #FRACTUREDpodcast - links in bio 💛 Subscribe & donate to help us continue telling these stories - 🔗 in bio #ReFOCUSMediaLabs #migrationmatters #humanrightsviolation #pushbacks #justiceformigrants #narrativechange #bordercrimes #ethicaljournalism #GabrielaRamirez #DougHerman #fracturedpodcast

It’s been almost a month since I left Bern, Switzerland 🇨🇭 after the True Story Festival /Award, and I’m still processing what an extraordinary experience it was. Here a bit about how it was for me: 📚 🏫 Day 1: I visited a high school just outside Bern, where I met a brilliant group of students and their teachers. Their questions were so thoughtful and genuinely curious! We talked about what it means to be an immigrant journalist in Germany, about the ethical challenges of reporting on trauma, and they were even interested in the ongoing political crisis in my home country, Venezuela. ✨ 🏆 Day 2: “Widowed by Europe’s Borders” published by @unbiasthenews was recognized as one of three finalists in the Storytelling category of the True Story Award. Sharing that space with such respected colleagues and jury members, many of whom I looked up to as a journalism student, was surreal. Truly a dream moment and a special evening that I will forever treasure. 🗣️ 🪂 Day 3: I stepped on stage at a packed auditorium to tell a story as part of my first Live Journalism event. My story was about my unique perspective on the complexities of “parachute journalism” and how, as a Venezuelan covering migration along Europe’s eastern borders, I have sometimes been perceived as such. Our storytelling was accompanied by pianist Bruno Schneiter, who turned our words into music and created such an intimate atmosphere for the evening. Here is a takeaway quote from my piece of storytelling: ‘Great journalism doesn’t necessarily start with where you’re from. It starts with how you show up.’ I left Bern truly inspired and full of gratitude for the recognition, for the community, and for the chance to share the stage with journalists who remind me why we do this work.