The International and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) have joined their Swedish affiliate – Swedish Journalists’ Union (SUJ) - in expressing their sadness following the confirmation of freelance Swedish journalist Kim Wall’s death which occurred in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"It is with sadness and dismay that we received the confirmation of our colleague's death. Our thoughts are with Kim Wall's family," said Jonas Nordling, president of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SUJ).
EFJ president Mogens Blicher Bjerregård also sent to the Swedish Union of Journalist and Kim Wall's family his deepest sympathy after the confirmation this morning from the Danish police that the torso found on Amager beach in Denmark was identified as hers.
Kim Wall, 30, was reported missing on 10 August, after she failed to return from a trip aboard a civilian submarine, the Nautilus, with its inventor Peter Madsen. Wall was researching a feature about Madsen and his hobby vessel, which he built in 2008 from crowdfunding. Ms Wall, a graduate from Columbia University’s school of journalism, had worked for many news organisations including The Guardian, The New York Times and The South China Morning Post.
Mr Madsen was arrested in connection with her disappearance and, after initially claiming he had dropped her safely near Copenhagen, later reportedly told investigators that she had died in accident and he had buried her at sea.
Investigators told reporters that Ms Wall’s torso had been weighted down with metal and mutilated in what appeared to be an attempt to ensure that decomposition gases passed out the body so as to stop it from floating.
The IFJ and EFJ are waiting for the full investigation of the Danish police to be completed in order to shed light on circumstances surrounding Kim Wall's death.
For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 16
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries
The EFJ represents 320,000 journalists in 41 countries in Europe
IFJ