Jamal Covarrubias

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours is a journalist based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Her work focuses primarily on human rights, Indigenous issues, refugees, immigration, the environment, and politics and culture in the Middle East-North Africa.

She regularly writes for Deutsche Welle, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera English, Arctic Deeply, Truthout, Al Araby Al Jadeed, TRT World, and Newsweek Middle East magazine. She also file radio reports for Free Speech Radio News and Deutsche Welle.

Jillian previously worked as a staff reporter at The Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper, where she covered daily breaking news under real-time deadlines, human interest stories, sports, culture, arts, and business. Before joining the Star, Jillian briefly worked as a reporter-editor at The Canadian Press in Montreal, and an editor on the Americas desk at London, UK-based news website, Middle East Eye. 

Jillian was an online producer at Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar, in 2013 and 2014. She wrote hard news copy on AJE's 24-hour news desk, and in-depth features about political and social issues in Israel-Palestine, Canada, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, and other countries. She helped re-launch the channel's Middle East-North Africa online desk, including recruiting reporters and photographers, editing news and feature stories, and setting a coverage plan for the region.

From 2010 to 2013, Jillian was based in Jerusalem. She worked as a freelance foreign correspondent for Inter Press Service news agency and Free Speech Radio News, and she contributed to Le Monde Diplomatique, Ha'aretz, Al Jazeera English, Al-Monitor, SBS Australia, Briarpatch Magazine, This Magazine, The Dominion, and others.

Jillian has reported from Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar, Israel-Palestine, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, the United States, and across Europe. Originally from Montreal, she is fluent in French. She also speaks intermediate Levantine Arabic.