The following resolution was adopted by the members of the International Press Institute (IPI) on October 15, 2025 by unanimous vote of those present at the 74th annual General Assembly, and presented at the IPI World Congress on October 25, 2025 in Vienna, Austria.
Around the world, journalists are being forced into exile in unprecedented numbers. The global press freedom environment is deteriorating as authoritarianism and illiberalism gain ground. Wars and political instability add further peril. For many, the only path to safety is to flee abroad. Yet even as the need grows, the number of states willing to provide refuge for exiled journalists is shrinking.
This leaves many journalists and their families in an impossible bind: trapped between repression at home and dwindling options abroad. At the same time, journalists who do manage to reach safety continue to face harassment, intimidation and even physical attacks through transnational repression — acts of persecution carried out by authoritarian states against their critics overseas.
According to the Media Freedom Coalition, such acts include assassination, disappearances, forced return and extradition, digital and physical surveillance, the misuse of spyware, online harassment (often gendered), defamation campaigns, intimidation of family members and associates, and the bringing of criminal charges in absentia.
Independent media plays a critical role in holding governments accountable and reporting on matters of public interest. For many living under authoritarian rule, journalists and outlets working in exile are some of the only sources of trustworthy information about their countries. In targeting these journalists, authoritarian governments are not only attempting to control the flow of information within their countries, but also beyond their borders.
Therefore, we, as a community of media, call on the international community to take urgent and coordinated action based on a three-step approach.
The first step is to facilitate safe entry into exile. This means creating and expanding rapid and flexible visa pathways for at-risk journalists and their families while reducing bureaucratic obstacles and ensuring journalists in need can swiftly access safe havens.
The second step is to ensure robust protection and support for journalists and their families once in exile. This means shielding exiled journalists from acts of transnational repression, including by investigating and prosecuting attacks under international law. Such protections should extend to family members, who are often targeted through intimidation, harassment, or coercion-by-proxy.
The third step is to provide financial and institutional support to exiled media, to help them remain in the profession, sustain operations, continue reaching their audiences, and overcome censorship and information blockades.
We remind all states that under international law they bear an obligation to protect the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and information. Authoritarian governments must put an immediate end to the targeting of journalists abroad, and to respect the right of independent media to report freely without interference. Democratic states, meanwhile, must adopt a comprehensive approach to assisting and protecting exiled journalists so they can continue their critical mission of informing the public and holding power to account.