British-Pakistani journalist ‘wins right’ to sue CNN

British-Pakistani journalist Saima Mohsin has won the right to sue Cable News Network (CNN) for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal in UK Employment Tribunal, the journalist said on Tuesday.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Mohsin wrote: “I won! I won the hearing against CNN.”

She also said the employment tribunal will hear her case on unfair dismissal, disability, discrimination and equal pay in London.

“Thank you for all your support. Truly It has helped me get through this,” she added.

According to Deadline, Judge Klimov ruled in Mohsin’s favour following a preliminary hearing last month, meaning that her case can proceed to a full tribunal at the London Central Employment Tribunal.

A date for the hearing is yet to be determined.

Mohsin had filed a lawsuit against the news agency for racial discrimination and unfair dismissal after she was severely injured while on assignment in Isreal.

The reporter was left disabled following an accident when she was reporting from Jerusalem on the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Guardian had reported.

She has been struggling to sit, stand, walk, or return to work full time-time after the incident in 2014 — wherein her cameraman ran over her foot in a car, resulting in severe tissue damage.

Following the upsetting event, she urged to media organisation to switch her to a physically less demanding role and support for rehabilitation, but CNN flat-out refused.

"She also alleges that she asked CNN if she could switch to a presenting role in order to reduce the amount of time spent travelling but was told 'You don't have the look we are looking for'," the Guardian reported.

Three years later, CNN fired her.

The reporter then decided to move the employment tribunal claim as CNN refused to support her following her life-changing injury.

"I worked hard to become an international correspondent and loved my job with CNN. I risked my life many times on assignment for CNN believing they would have my back. They did not," she said.

Mohsin alleged that she faced racial and disability discrimination as well as a gender pay gap during her stint at CNN.

The former CNN reporter also alleged that the managers preferred white American correspondents over her even when she was ready to go live on the ground — giving her less on-air time.