IPI condemns recent internet shutdowns and mobile network disruptions in Mauritania, Guinea, and Senegal June 21, 2023 The IPI global network condemns the recent ordering of network disruptions and internet shutdowns by governments Mauritania, Guinea, and Senegal, where access to the internet has been either partially or completely restricted in recent months amid public protests. Internet shutdowns are a disproportionate restriction on the public’s right to access to information, including during times […] Read more »
Turkey: International groups condemn attack against journalist Sinan Aygül June 20, 2023 The undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression and human rights organizations strongly condemn the appalling attack on journalist Sinan Aygül that took place in Tatvan, a city in eastern Turkey, on June 17. Two people were arrested the following day charged with ‘intentional injury with a weapon’. While we welcome the swift arrests, we call […] Read more »
Benin: Journalist given suspended prison term for ‘false news’ June 19, 2023 The IPI global network condemns the one-year suspended prison term given to Benin journalist Virgile Ahouanse of the online radio Crystal News after being found guilty of publishing false news on his online media platform. IPI calls for the decision to be reversed and urges authorities to stop using the country’s digital code to crack […] Read more »
IPI joins call to EU Council to reconsider EMFA spyware position June 19, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins a civil society and journalists organisations in voicing our concerns about proposals to weaken protections for journalists against spyware surveillance envisioned in the draft European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). IPI joins these groups in jointly calling on the Council of the European Union to reconsider its current position […] Read more »
#IPIWoCo Recap: The chilling effect of surveillance on journalism June 16, 2023 IPI Contributor Katherine Dailey Surveillance technologies of all kinds — from facial recognition cameras to spyware technology — are increasingly being used to target journalists around the world. Speakers at the IPI World Congress panel titled “Journalism and surveillance: A brave new world” explained how these technologies threaten freedom of the press, and how journalists can protect themselves. The COVID-19 […] Read more »
Guatemala: IPI condemns sentencing of journalist José Rubén Zamora June 15, 2023 IPI Contributors Katherine Dailey and Rowan Humphries Guatemalan journalist and IPI World Press Freedom Hero José Rubén Zamora, head of the now-shuttered elPeriódico newspaper, has been convicted on charges of money laundering and sentenced to six years in prison. The IPI global press freedom network strongly condemns this verdict as a serious attack on press freedom and calls on Guatemala and states […] Read more »
IPI condemns use of Pegasus spyware against journalists amidst Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict June 14, 2023 By IPI contributor Rowan Humphries The IPI global network is alarmed by a new report by internet watchdogs and digital rights advocacy groups uncovering the use of Pegasus, a controversial spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group, to target journalists and other civil society actors during the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The latest revelations are another […] Read more »
#IPIWoCo Recap: Cutting loose from media capture June 13, 2023 Jamie Wiseman There is a light at the end of the tunnel after media capture, and different strategies are being developed at the political and economic level to help safeguard independent media from hostile takeovers, panellists agreed during a discussion at the IPI World Congress in Vienna on May 26. While undemocratic models of controlling media ecosystems […] Read more »
IPI Africa press freedom monitoring: Journalists in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan face censorship, arrests, and violence June 7, 2023 Journalists in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan faced significant pressure, including censorship, arrests, and violence, according to IPI monitoring of press freedom threats and violations for the month of April. In total, IPI documented 60 incidents across 13 countries during this month, with a vast majority of press freedom threats or violations occurring at the hands […] Read more »
Kyrgyzstan urged to stop abusing legislation to target independent media June 6, 2023 The recent ruling to close ‘Azattyk Media’, which can still be appealed in court, reflects a growing pattern in Kyrgyzstan to draft and arbitrarily implement controversial and ambiguous laws that could be misused to target people and institutions exercising their rights to free expression and information. Dear President Sadyr Japarov, We, the undersigned civil society […] Read more »
Retired Ukrainian journalist detained in occupied Melitopol June 5, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) global network is alarmed by the repressive arrest of retired journalist Iryna Levchenko in Melitopol, a city in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022. According to relatives in touch with the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Levchenko went missing around May 6 along with […] Read more »
Mexico: Authorities must investigate killing of journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez Hernández June 1, 2023 IPI Contributor Rowan Humphries The IPI global network condemns the killing of Mexican journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez Hernández, who was shot outside his home by armed gunmen on May 23. He is at least the third journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2023. We call on the Mexican government to thoroughly and transparently investigate any connection between Ramírez’s […] Read more »
Authorities in Khmelnitskiy refuse journalist’s request, court rules decision illegal On 1 June 2023, a court in Khmelnitskiy, Western Ukraine, ruled on a decision by the city’s Executive Committee refusing to provide journalist Alona Bereza with public information, stating that the decision was illegal. On April 19, the journalist, who works for local online media Zhar.Info, sent a request to the Khmelnitskiy Executive Committee, asking […] Read more »
#IPIWoCo Recap: Awarding resilience and courage in journalism May 31, 2023 This year’s IPI World Congress award ceremony celebrated resilience and courage in journalism. Prominent Mexican investigative reporter Carmen Aristegui was awarded the 2023 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award, honouring her decades of fearless reporting on corruption in Mexico despite targeted efforts to silence her. News site Myanmar Now received the 2023 IPI-IMS Free Media […] Read more »
Nepal: IPI urges government to respect press freedom, independent journalism May 31, 2023 The IPI global network today published an open letter to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal urging his government to take immediate and concrete action to protect and respect press freedom and ensure that the citizens of Nepal public can exercise their fundamental right to receive diverse, independent news and information. The letter highlights some of […] Read more »
India: IPI urges government to respect press freedom May 31, 2023 The IPI global network today published an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing our concerns about the alarming deterioration of press freedom in India. We urge his government to take immediate and concrete action to protect freedom of expression and media freedom and to ensure that the Indian public can exercise their fundamental right […] Read more »
Bangladesh: IPI urges government to respect press freedom, independent journalism May 31, 2023 The IPI global network today published an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing our concerns about the state of media freedom in Bangladesh. We urge her government to take immediate and concrete action to protect press freedom and ensure that the citizens of Bangladesh can exercise their fundamental right to receive diverse, independent […] Read more »
Pakistan: IPI calls on government to respect press freedom May 31, 2023 The IPI global network today published an open letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing concerns about the state of press freedom in Pakistan and urging his government to take immediate and concrete action to protect and respect press freedom and to ensure that the Pakistani public can exercise their fundamental right to receive diverse, […] Read more »
Sergey Podsytnik charged with disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army On 29 May 2023, officials at the Investigative Committee of Russia in Samara, a city in the Volga region, charged journalist Sergey Podsytnik with violating article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code, which bans the dissemination of information considered by Russian authorities to be “fake news”. If found guilty of committing the offence under normal […] Read more »
IPI General Assembly Resolution: Governments must ensure AI enables media freedom, healthy information ecosystems May 25, 2023 The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 72nd annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on May 25, 2023 in Vienna, Austria, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution calling on governments to ensure AI is developed and deployed with strong human rights safeguards that protect media freedom and enable independent, […] Read more »
IPI General Assembly Resolution: State and non-state actors must cease ‘lawfare’ against the press May 25, 2023 The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 72nd annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on May 25, 2023 in Vienna, Austria, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution calling on state and non-state actors to cease the weaponization of law to target journalists and to respect human rights principles and […] Read more »
New Frontiers: Democracy and the Information Ecosystem in the Age of AI The launch of ChatGPT tells us what we already knew: AI is hurrying in the next big disruption. What will it mean for our societies, for how we do journalism, and for our ability to access independent, credible, public interest information? Teresa Ribeiro, Representative on Freedom of the Media, OSCE (Video Message) The […] Read more »
Myanmar Now receives 2023 Free Media Pioneer award May 22, 2023 IPI (International Press Institute) and IMS (International Media Support) today announced that Myanmar Now, a trailblazing news organization dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights violations in Myanmar, is the recipient of the 2023 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer award. In addition to recognizing Myanmar Now’s powerful human rights and public-interest reporting in particular, the awards […] Read more »
IPI, partners reaffirm continued solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners May 21, 2023 Today, marking the Day of the Political Prisoner in Belarus, the undersigned organisations reiterate our condemnation of the Lukashenko regime’s ruthless crackdown on civil society and independent media. We continue to stand in solidarity with courageous Belarusians who persist in their fight for freedom. The international community will keep demanding the unconditional release of all […] Read more »
Russian authorities interrogate Ladoga.ru editor-in-chief, search apartment On 18 May 2023, Russian security forces searched the apartment of Alexander Kalinin, the editor-in-chief of the St. Petersburg-based online media Ladoga.ru. According to Russian media, officials asked Kalinin about his attitude towards Ilya Ponomarev, a former opposition Russian MP who currently lives in exile in Kyiv. The IPI Weekly Digest & IPI Distribution List […] Read more »
Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI is the focus of the 2023 IPI World Congress, 25-26 May in Vienna May 12, 2023 Leading journalists, editors and publishers from over 80 countries and six continents, in person and online, will gather at the International Press Institute’s (IPI) World Congress and Media Innovation Festival 2023, taking place in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier, from 25 – 26 May, to explore the rapidly evolving global and technological landscape for independent journalism. Participants will […] Read more »
One year on: IPI demands justice for killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh May 11, 2023 A year ago today, veteran Palestinian-American journalist and IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, sending shock waves through the journalism and human rights communities around the world. To date, there has been no accountability for this egregious crime. On the one-year anniversary of this killing, […] Read more »
IPI joins public call to protect press freedom in Burkina Faso and Mali May 4, 2023 The IPI global network has joined with 29 other local and international media groups and press defense organizations in calling on leading regional and international institutions to ensure that press freedom and freedom of expression are respected and protected in Mali and Burkina Faso. Both countries are currently under military-led regimes, which have targeted government […] Read more »
Media Freedom on the Line as Turkey Approaches Elections May 3, 2023 As Turkey prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections, press freedom and human rights groups demand that, whoever forms the next government, unwinding a decade of restrictions on media freedom must be a central priority for the country. Spotlight: IPI’s Turkey newsletter Receive breaking news, track the state of press and media freedom, access detailed factsheets […] Read more »
Turkey: International groups demand release of Kurdish journalists, lawyers, political party officials detained in pre-election crackdown April 25, 2023 Media freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organisations call on Turkish authorities to stop the systematic harassment and intimidation of Kurdish journalists, media workers, media outlets, the lawyers that defend them, and Kurdish political party officials, give them access to legal counsel, disclose full details of charges brought and to ensure that they are […] Read more »
IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer award: 10 trailblazing organizations shortlisted April 21, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) and IMS (International Media Support) are proud to announce this year’s shortlist for the IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer award. These are 10 outstanding organizations on five continents that are blazing trails in defence of the public’s right to independent news. The IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer award is presented to organizations […] Read more »
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui named 2023 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero April 21, 2023 IPI and IMS are proud to announce Mexican investigative journalist Carmen Aristegui as the recipient of the 2023 World Press Freedom Hero award. The award honours Aristegui’s decades of fearless reporting on corruption in Mexico regardless of the government in power, and her unyielding commitment to critical journalism in the face of targeted efforts to […] Read more »
Czech Republic: Efforts to fight disinformation grind to a halt April 20, 2023 By IPI contributor Tim Gosling In the final stretch of a bitter election campaign, presidential candidate Petr Pavel was forced to assure voters that he was still alive. Reports of the former general’s death may not have prevented him romping to victory in the Czech Republic’s January presidential election, but they were just one example of the “alarming” levels of […] Read more »
