Russia’s leading human rights lawyer joins list of prominent speakers Karinna Moskalenko, Russian human rights lawyer and international advisory board member of the UK-based Media Legal Defence Initiative, is the latest addition to an already strong line-up of speakers and panellists slated to take part in the annual IPI World Congress 2013 in Amman, Jordan. Moskalenko has taken numerous cases to the European Court of […] Read more »
SEEMO names winners of 2012 Human Rights Award December 4, 2012 The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), has named Turkish cameraman Cüneyt Ünal and his missing colleague, Jordanian reporter of Palestinian origin Bashar Fahmi Kaddumi, the winners of the 2012 SEEMO Human Rights Award. The award is scheduled to be presented during a ceremony on Dec. […] Read more »
Release Bahraini human rights activists now, say international groups August 17, 2012 IPI joined members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and other human rights groups in condemning the three year prison term handed down to human rights defender Nabeel Rajab on Thursday, and calling for the release of all activists jailed for exercising their right to free expression. Nabeel heads the Bahrain Centre for […] Read more »
Experts discuss role of free press in promoting human rights, democracy and development July 4, 2012 Media play a vital role in promoting human rights, democracy and development. A free press holds those in power to account. Especially in conflict situations, media bear powerful responsibility for informing the public and raising awareness in a fair and balanced way at the national and international levels. But the media can also be misused […] Read more »
SEEMO invites submission of entries for Human Rights Photo Award March 19, 2012 As part of the BETA Photograph of the Year competition, the Vienna-based South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), calls for the submission of entries for its 2012 SEEMO Human Rights Photo Award. All professional photojournalists working and taking photographs in South East and Central Europe are […] Read more »
SEEMO welcomes police action against attackers of journalists in Montenegro, and European Court of Human Rights decision December 2, 2011 The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), welcomes the prompt police action against three men who physically attacked a TV crew from TV Vijesti. The incident occurred on 18 November 2011 in Niksic, a town 55 kilometers from the Montenegrin capital Podgorica. The TV crew was […] Read more »
Veton Surroi wins 2011 SEEMO Human Rights Award November 21, 2011 Kosovo journalist, publisher, politician and human rights activist Veton Surroi has won the 2011 SEEMO Human Rights Award. The SEEMO board praised Surroi’s non-violent methods and consistent “commitment to human rights” in all of his professional activities. The 2011 SEEMO Human Rights award will be presented to Veton Surroi on 24 November 2011 at 18.30 […] Read more »
European Court of Human Rights postpones hearing on Italian TV station May 31, 2011 Mina Nacheva The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has postponed a hearing on a complaint by an Italian TV broadcaster which argued that the Italian government had breached its rights by not allowing the station to take to the airwaves. The Court announced on 12 May that a public hearing in Centro Europa 7 S.R.L. v. […] Read more »
Iranian human rights lawyer and journalist continues hunger strike December 27, 2010 Alicia Versteegh Nasrin Sotoudeh is a leading human rights lawyer and journalist respected for her defense of the rights of women and children in Iran. She defended political activists and protesters arrested following the disputed presidential elections in June 2009. Sotoudeh was detained on September 4 2010 and charged with “propaganda against the state,” and “acting against […] Read more »
SEEMO/IPI Press Release: SEEMO Human Rights Award 2010 To Christo Komarnitski from Bulgaria December 9, 2010 SEEMO Staff The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press institute (IPI), is pleased to announce that after careful deliberation the SEEMO Jury – composed of SEEMO Board members – has awarded the “SEEMO Human […] Read more »
European court of human rights raps Spain over editor conviction June 2, 2010 Elisabeth Garrett The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday ruled that Spain’s sentencing of a Spanish editor over an article in his newspaper linking Morocco’s now-deceased King Hassan II to drug-dealers was a violation of Article 10 of the European Convention, which protects the rights of freedom of expression and of the press. The case dates […] Read more »
European court of human rights orders release of imprisoned Azeri journalist April 23, 2010 Nayana Jayarajan The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes a decision by the European Court of Human Rights ordering the immediate release of Eynulla Fatullayev, an Azeri journalist who was sentenced in 2007 to eight-and-a-half years in prison for defamation and “fomenting terrorism” through his articles. The Court yesterday voted six to one that Azerbaijan had violated Fatullayev’s […] Read more »
Tunisian authorities ban human rights organisation from holding press conference March 24, 2010 Louise Hallman International human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, was prohibited by government officials from holding a press conference in Tunisia on Wednesday, 24 March. The organisation was due to launch its report “A Larger Prison: Repression of Former Political Prisoners in Tunisia.” In a statement sent to the Tunisia Monitoring Group – a coalition of 20 […] Read more »
European Court of Human Rights orders Turkey to pay compensation to journalists January 28, 2010 Barbara Trionfi, Press Freedom Advisor The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Turkey to pay a total of over 40,000 Euros to 20 Turkish journalists as compensation for having violated their rights. In two separate cases, the Court ruled on 26 January that Turkey had violated freedom of speech laws when it suspended five newspapers and sentenced a magazine […] Read more »
SEEMO Human Rights Award 2009 to Pavol Demes from Slovakia December 8, 2009 The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press institute (IPI), is pleased to announce that after careful deliberation the SEEMO Board has awarded the ”SEEMO Human Rights Award 2009” to Pavol Demes, an internationally […] Read more »
PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE: United States President touches upon human rights concerns during official visit to China November 17, 2009 United States President Barack Obama today said discussions with China about human rights will resume early next year, following international calls for the president to address specific concerns on the issues of press freedom and human rights violations. At a press conference today with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Obama, Hu said both sides had […] Read more »
IPI joins other press freedom and human rights groups in condemning harsh crackdown on press freedom in Morocco October 23, 2009 23 October 2009 – We, the undersigned organisations defending freedom of expression, call on the Moroccan government to stop the current crackdown against press freedom, which has become the most serious since King Mohamed VI was crowned in 1999. Repression of free expression rights has been escalating for the last three months. After publishing a […] Read more »
IPI delegation raises issues of impunity and self-censorship with human rights ombudsman, holds discussions with media outlets in first leg of Russia advocacy mission October 2, 2009 Colin Peters The International Press Institute (IPI), a media freedom organisation with an almost 60-year history of defending liberty of the press, on Wednesday began a five day advocacy mission to Russia, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists. The mission began with an investigation into the events surrounding the brutal attack on a Khimki-based […] Read more »
Finnish journalist to take case to European Court of Human Rights September 7, 2009 Finnish photojournalist Markus Pentikäinen, convicted in 2007 for ignoring a police order to stop reporting at the scene of a 2006 demonstration in Helsinki, is to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights after a Finnish Supreme Court decision of 1 September gave him “no leave to appeal,” according to weekly current […] Read more »
Russian editor-in-chief fears killers of human rights activist and journalist won’t face justice July 16, 2009 A Russian editor-in-chief has expressed concern that the killers of a prominent human rights activist and journalist brutally slain on 15 July will never face justice. “Unfortunately the Russian authorities, although using hard wording to condemn such crimes, do almost nothing to find their organisers, bring the cases to court and punish the killers,” Galina […] Read more »
IPI deeply concerned over defamation charges filed against Syrian journalist and human rights activist April 2, 2008 The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, is deeply concerned about the Syrian government’s decision to file defamation charges against Mazen Darwich, prominent Syrian journalist and director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM). According to information before IPI, […] Read more »
IPI shares concern over lowering of human rights standards for admission of new member states to the Council of Europe June 26, 1997 The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in over 100 countries, expressed its support today for the position taken by Peter Leuprecht, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who has resigned over the lowering of human rights standards for […] Read more »
Advocacy Thailand: IPI urges government to drop cross-border defamation charges against Murray Hunter December 4, 2025 The IPI global network is deeply concerned by the Thai government’s decision to pursue criminal defamation charges against journalist Murray Hunter on behalf of the Malaysian government. IPI urges Thai authorities to drop all charges immediately, and calls for an end to the alarming rise of transnational repression in Southeast Asia. Australian journalist Murray Hunter […] Read more »
Ukraine: Peace plan must ensure accountability for crimes against journalists December 4, 2025 As negotiations continue over a peace plan to end the Russian war on Ukraine, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations strongly oppose any proposals on granting amnesty for potential war crimes committed in the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion, especially for those against journalists. Our organisations renew our demand that those responsible for […] Read more »
Launch of the Joint Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, Freedom of Expression, and Media Freedom Launch of the 2025 joint declaration of the special mandates on freedom of expression of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, focused on freedom of expression, media freedom, and AI. The IPI Weekly Digest & […] Read more »
Defending press freedom in the new world order 2025 dealt a harsh blow to multilateralism and to the rights-based global order that has served as the foundation for a wide body of international laws and mechanisms safeguarding press freedom and human rights for nearly a century. A new multipolar world is taking shape, as global human rights bodies, laws, and norms are under […] Read more »
Cracking the authoritarian playbook Autocratic models of capturing and controlling the media continue to spread, even to countries once considered beacons of media freedom. Can we crack the code behind this playbook? And in doing so, can we future-proof media ecosystems and guarantees for human rights before it’s too late? The IPI Weekly Digest & IPI Distribution List Subscribe […] Read more »
Advocacy Turkey: 7th International press freedom mission concludes November 26, 2025 This seventh international press freedom mission to Türkiye, held in Ankara from 24 to 26 November 2025, was led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and included Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) as part […] Read more »
Story Matters: News entrepreneurs in a disruptive age (Part 2) November 24, 2025 On October 24, we kicked off the Media Innovation Festival 2025 in Vienna’s Schönbrunn Apothekertrakt. Ryan Powell (Head of media innovation and business, IPI) opened the day, introducing the 4 years of Media Innovation Festival impact, and drawing a through-line for the 2 days to come: a celebration of experimentation and solutions. Story Matters: News […] Read more »
Advocacy Tanzania: IPI strongly condemns attacks on journalists amid post-election protest crackdown November 21, 2025 The IPI global network strongly condemns the violence and attacks on journalists by authorities during election-related protests in Tanzania in late October. Three journalists were killed, and several were arrested, amid a violent crackdown on protestors in which at least 700 people were killed. We welcome the inquiry into the widespread killings and call for […] Read more » Taggedattack on journalists elections killed journalists protests
Advocacy India: IPI, partners demand urgent protection for journalist Rana Ayyub following death threats November 20, 2025 The International Press Institute joins nine press freedom organizations in urging Indian authorities to take immediate steps to protect Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and her father amid escalating threats to her and her family’s lives. We call on police to open a formal investigation into the threats to ensure perpetrators are held accountable. Read […] Read more »
Advocacy Georgia: IPI denounces appeals court verdict against Mzia Amaglobeli November 19, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) today strongly condemns the recent appeal court verdict upholding the two-year prison sentence handed down to IPI member and World Press Freedom Hero Mzia Amaglobeli. As the defense plans to appeal this verdict to the Supreme Court, IPI continues to demand its overturn and Mzia’s immediate release. On November 18, […] Read more »
International Women’s Day 2025 IPI celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, IPI is proud to celebrate some of the remarkable women media leaders from our global network. From our first female member to the courageous collective of journalists, innovators, and media leaders we are honoured to include in our network today, these […] Read more »
