Reporter Speaks Out After Alabama Prison Official Said Her 'Skirt Was Too Short' to Witness Execution

A local reporter said officials with the Alabama Department of Corrections initially said she would not be able to witness an execution last week as her skirt and shoes violated the prison's dress code.

In a Twitter post that detailed the incident, Ivana Hrynkiw, a reporter and managing producer for AL.com, wrote last week that a Department of Corrections representative "told me publicly I couldn't view the execution because my skirt was too short."

Hrynkiw shared that she had worn the same exact skirt to past executions and other professional events, and that believed it was "more than appropriate" attire.

"I tried to pull my skirt to my hips to make the skirt longer, but was told it was still not appropriate," the reporter added.

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Hrynkiw wrote that a local television photographer lent her his rain attire, but that even after putting on a pair of "fisherman's wader pants," the Department of Corrections official had an issue with her footwear. The journalist wrote that she was then told her open-toe heels were "too revealing."

After retrieving a pair of sneakers from her vehicle, Hrinkew said she was allowed to view the execution at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.

"Despite wearing a pair of waders from a man I have never met and casual tennis shoes, I continued to do my job," Hrynkiw wrote on Twitter. "This was an uncomfortable situation, and I felt embarrassed to have my body and my clothes questioned in front of a room of people I mostly had never met."

Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara/Instagram Ivana Hrynkiw

Associated Press reporter Kim Chandler was also subjected to a clothing inspection that night, though prison officials determined Chandler's clothing fit the dress code, according to AL.com. Chandler, who has been covering executions since 2002, said on Twitter that "this was the first time I had to stand to have the length of my attire checked."

After inquiring why the check was being done, Chandler wrote that a prison spokesperson said "the warden was enforcing a dress code," and that they "later provided a link to the visitation policy which primarily deals with family and attorneys going inside the prison to visit with an inmate."

"To be clear, I have no problem with a dress code, but please provide notice," added Chandler. "ADOC said it will do so in the future and apologized for any confusion. Both are appreciated (it's another debate if dress codes in general have subjective standards w/greater scrutiny on female bodies)."

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In a statement obtained by AL.com, the Alabama Department of Corrections — which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE'S request for comment — said that wardens at each of its facilities enforce the department's dress codes "based on each event and current safety conditions."

"It will be the policy of ADOC in the future to remind all members of the media about this dress code before any media event taking place at an ADOC facility," the statement continued.

The statement included an apology "for any confusion or inconvenience this regulation may have caused," and said it hopes to avoid a repeat of the situation by reminding media members of the dress code in advance.

According to AL.com, the dress code requires that "all dresses, skirts, and pants shall extend below the knee (females only). Splits/Slits must be knee length or lower (females only)," and that the only prohibited footwear items listed are "slippers, shower shoes, and beach shoes."

An Alabama Department of Corrections document available online contains similar language regarding dresses, skirts, pants and footwear, as well the stipulation that all "visitor(s) shall be dressed in business or business casual attire."

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The editor in chief and vice president of content for Alabama Media Group issued a statement of support for Hrynkiw, writing on Twitter that "what happened to her last night was wrong."

"This was unacceptable, unequal treatment," Kelly Ann Scott told AL.com. "I'm proud to work with Ivana, who despite this treatment, continued to report the story with professionalism to our audiences in Alabama.

Scott went on to call the incident "sexist and an egregious breach of professional conduct," noting that "it should not happen to any other reporter again."

AL.com reported on Friday that it had sent a formal complaint to the state's Department of Corrections, as well as Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama state Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace, who also sent a letter to Ivey on Friday, wrote in the letter that the AP sent to PEOPLE that the incident was "humiliating, discriminatory and simply unacceptable behavior toward professional journalists trying to cover one of the most serious events they are called upon to witness."

The AP called on Ivey's office to "investigate the incident and ensure such behavior is not tolerated and does not occur again."