On July 9, Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s most populous nation, re-elected its president, in an atmosphere which local independent journalists describe as extremely constraining for their profession, limiting options for real political pluralism in Uzbekistan. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was officially declared the winner of the race, receiving 87 percent of the vote, in an election described […]

IPI and its global network today denounce the decision by Russian authorities to designate Novaya Gazeta Europe, a leading independent Russian media outlet, as an “undesirable organization”. The Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office claimed that Novaya Gazeta Europe “created and disseminated tendentious informational materials harming the interests of Russia”. Authorities also accused the outlet of disseminating “false […]

Russia’s notorious “foreign agents” law is inspiring similar measures in the region. While citizens in Georgia successfully opposed a bill on “foreign agents” in March, Kyrgyzstan is considering a similar proposal, which experts say is modeled on Russian legislation that has been used to suppress independent media and civil society. In parallel, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is debating […]

The IPI global network joined dozens of other press freedom, human rights, and digital rights organizations  from across the globe under the auspices of the #KeepItOn coalition to call on the Sierra Leonean government to keep the internet on during the country’s general elections on June 24.   The letter calls on President Julius Maada Bio […]