A reporter says she was forced to change clothes while attending an execution after prison officials in Alabama said her skirt was too short. Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara appeared at the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) along with other reporters to watch the execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. on Thursday. But she said she was stopped when she went to the media center at the William C Holman Correctional Institution in Atmore and was told by staff that her outfit violated the prison’s dress code. James, 50, was convicted of shooting his ex-girlfriend Faith Hall, 26, in 1994 in Birmingham. Photo provided by Alabama Department of Corrections by Joe Nathan James Jr (Image: AP) Ms Shatara, managing producer for the website AL.com, said she had worn the same skirt in other executions at the same facility “without incident”. In a statement posted on her social media, she said: “I wasn’t going to share this story, but after another member of the media brought it to my attention, I want to get the story out there. “Tonight a representative of the Alabama Department of Corrections publicly told me that I could not see the execution because my skirt was too short. “I’ve worn this skirt to previous runs without incident, to work, business events and more and I think it’s more than appropriate. At 5’7 and 5’10 with heels I’m tall and long legged. I tried to pull my skirt up around my hips to make the skirt longer, but I was told it still didn’t fit.’ She said a photographer from a local television station offered her waterproof heels, only for staff to turn her away again on the grounds that her “open heels” were too revealing. After running to her car to put on a new pair of tennis shoes, she said she was finally able to “do my job.” Ms Shatara continued: ‘It was an uncomfortable situation and I felt embarrassed to be questioned about my body and my clothes in front of a room of people I had mostly never met. “I sat down, tried to stop blushing and did my job. As women often have to do. If you read this far, you’ll get a medal. Thank you for your support!’ Another reporter, Kaitlyn Ross, responded by saying she had also been removed from a government facility because her outfit was deemed “too revealing,” adding: “It’s exhausting being a woman. “You did a great job under ridiculous circumstances. I’m sorry this happened.’ Kelly Ann Scott, editor-in-chief and vice president of content for Alabama Media Group, which owns Al.com, called Ms. Shatara’s treatment “unacceptable and unequal.” She said, “I am proud to work with Ivana, who despite this treatment continued to report the story professionally to our Alabama audience. “This was sexist and a gross breach of professional conduct. And it must not happen again to any other reporter.’
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The website reports that an ADOC spokeswoman later called Ms. Shatara to apologize for the strict dress code enforcement and the embarrassment caused. The statement continued: “Guards at each ADOC facility enforce this dress code based on each event and current security conditions. It will be ADOC policy in the future to remind all members of the media of this dress code prior to any media event taking place at an ADOC facility. “We apologize for any confusion or disruption this regulation may have caused. We hope that by including it in future media advisories, we can avoid this kind of situation.’ James received a lethal injection after the US Supreme Court rejected his request for a stay. Officials said he was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. since the start of the execution was delayed by almost three hours.
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Prosecutors said James briefly dated Hall and became obsessed after she rejected him, stalking and harassing her for months before killing her. On August 15, 1994, after Hall had gone shopping with a friend, James forced his way into his friend’s apartment, pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Hall three times. Hall’s two daughters, who were just three and six when their mother was killed, said they wanted James to serve life in prison rather than be executed. A statement issued on behalf of the family said: “Today is a tragic day for our family. We have to relive the harm this caused us many years ago. “We hoped that the state would not take a life simply because a life was taken, and we forgave Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. for his atrocities against our family. “We pray that God will allow us to find healing after today and that one day our criminal justice system will hear the cries of families like ours, even if it’s against what the state wants.” Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
