LONDON: An unfair dismissal case filed by British Pakistani journalist Saima Mohsin against CNN will be heard by a tribunal in the UK, the journalist confirmed this week.

She tweeted, “I won! I won the hearing against CNN Employment Trib­unal will hear my case on unfair dismissal #disability discrimination & #equalpay in London.”

Ms Mohsin, who now works for Sky News, was left differently-abled after an accident while reporting from Jerusalem on the Israel-Palestine conflict in 2014. Reports quote Ms Mohsin as saying her cameraman ran over her foot in a car, causing severe tissue damage that left her struggling to sit, stand and walk or return to work full-time

Ms Mohsin said that although she requested for alternative duties and support for rehabilitation from CNN, she was refused.

This week, she posted a statement to confirm that an employment tribunal in the UK will hear her case. Ms Mohsin welcomed the news.

CNN had argued at a preliminary hearing that a UK employment tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear the case and that the Equality Act 2010 and Employment Rights Act 1996 “did not apply on the grounds of territorial jurisdiction”.

However, the preliminary hearing agreed Mohsin could bring her case, which alleges unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, victimisation, failure to make reasonable adjustments and unequal pay.

Ms Mohsin’s statement on X (formerly Twitter), said, “I didn’t ask for this battle while learning to deal with a disability & rebuild my life… But it was important I take a stand… This raises questions about protections for #journalists & the treatment of people with a #disability.”

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2023