Journalist and Report for the World corps member Gabriela Ramírez at Unbias the News shares how her cross-border investigation into migrant graves has driven accountability, given voice to grieving families, and garnered international acclaim.
By Raghavi Sharma
In a moment when migration stories often focus on numbers and border politics, what really happens to those who never make it—and to the families they leave behind? Gabriela Ramírez, based in Berlin and originally from Venezuela, tackled this question head-on in her December 2023 feature “Widowed by Europe’s Borders,” with Tina Xu. Over ten months and across seven European countries, she uncovered unidentified migrant graves, revealing the human toll of Europe’s largely invisible border deaths.
Her reporting has been honored with the Fetisov Journalism Award for Outstanding Contribution to Civil Rights (2024, 1st Place), the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize for Feature Journalism, the IJ4EU Impact Award, and a Special Award from the European Press Prize—alongside finalist nods from One World Media and the True Story Award. In this conversation, Ramírez reflects on building trust with sources, the ethical challenges of cross-border fieldwork, and why human-centered storytelling is essential for real impact.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you tell me a bit about your background—your reporting experience and how long you’ve been with Unbias the News?
I’m a multimedia journalist who does a lot of cross-border investigations. I’m originally from Venezuela, where I began reporting on social conflict, politics, and corruption. I moved to Germany for my master’s in 2021, then joined Unbias the News as part of the editorial team before we even launched. I’ve been with Unbias for four years now, and it’s been amazing to help build diverse, inclusive journalism from the ground up. At Unbias, I mainly cover migration and human rights, often from a gender perspective. A lot of migration reporting focuses on men crossing borders, so I look at what happens to families left behind. I’ve also reported on deep-sea mining and climate change issues connected to the green transition.
For those who haven’t read the report, can you tell us what “Widowed by Europe’s Borders” is about and how the idea came about?
“Widowed by Europe’s Borders” tells the story of Sanooja, whose husband Samrim went missing crossing from Belarus into Lithuania. He entered Belarus on a fake visa, survived eight days in the border forest, reached a city, but plain-clothes officers pushed him back into the woods. He sent Sanooja a message saying he had no battery, no water, and thought he’d die. His body was found three days later, but she didn’t learn this until eight months later when an NGO in Lithuania helped her piece things together.
This piece was part of the broader Border Graves Investigation, where our team of eight journalists across seven European countries uncovered over 1,000 unidentified migrant graves spanning the last ten years. We visited 65 cemeteries, counted graves one by one, photographed them, and interviewed caretakers, NGOs, local officials, and medical experts to understand why these deaths were going unrecorded.
Did you have a target audience in mind for this report or a specific impact you were hoping for—policymakers or general awareness?
I didn’t start with a narrow audience in mind, but beyond raising awareness, I hoped we wouldn’t have to report this story again. Giving Sanooja her voice was key—she spent eight months seeking answers from police, border guards, embassies, anyone who might help. On the policy side, the story was discussed in the Lithuanian Parliament and became the first officially acknowledged border-death there. Ultimately, I wanted readers to see the human reality behind migration statistics.
“The story was discussed in the Lithuanian Parliament and became the first officially acknowledged border-death there. Ultimately, I wanted readers to see the human reality behind migration statistics.”
What does all this recognition mean to you and to the issue you covered?
It’s incredibly humbling. The most powerful moments were in Brussels at the European Parliament receiving the Lorenzo Natali Prize—having policymakers sit before me and listen. Even more meaningful was seeing Sanooja translate the story into Tamil herself and share it with her community. That confirmed for me that our reporting can be both ethical and impactful.
What were the major challenges you faced while reporting on this story?
Data collection was tough—no official body tracks migrant graves, so we built our own database, visited each cemetery we could, photographed graves, and tried to identify those buried. Mentally, covering traumatic stories day after day for eight to ten months was heavy, and doing it remotely added another layer of difficulty.
“ I believe no one is truly “objective”—bringing humanity to our reporting is vital.”
Finally, how has your background as a migrant shaped your perspective in reporting cross-border stories?
Growing up in Venezuela and experiencing migration firsthand gave me empathy and helped me connect with Sanooja’s story. I believe no one is truly “objective”—bringing humanity to our reporting is vital. My background allowed me to build trust with sources and capture the emotional core of these experiences.