She claims she has been attacked by Israeli soldiers on several occasions and filed a lawsuit after one incident where her arm was broken.[1] Two incidents of abuse towards Salam were documented in the 2001 Human Rights Watch report, Center of the Storm: a Case Study of Human Rights Abuses in Hebron District.[2] Following death threats from Israeli military personnel, settlers, and "extreme Muslim findamentalists," she applied for and was granted political asylum in Vienna, Austria on December 5, 2002.[1] The International Press Institute (IPI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) both intervened on her behalf in her asylum application.[1]