Russia: IPI denounces designation of Novaya Gazeta Europe as “undesirable organization” June 30, 2023 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 […] Read more »
EU must prioritize media freedom in Turkey post-election June 28, 2023 The undersigned organisations call on the incoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to place media freedom and human rights front and centre of relations with the newly re-elected Government of Turkey. The May elections, which saw a parliamentary majority for the AKP and its allies and the re-election of Recep Tayyip […] Read more »
Russian Prosecutor-General designates Novaya Gazeta Europe as an “undesirable organization” On 28 June 2023, the Russian Prosecutor-General’s office designated Novaya Gazeta Europe, a leading independent Russian media outlet, as an “undesirable organization”. Stay informed. Stay engaged. Join thousands of journalists who receive the IPI Weekly Digest—press freedom news, opportunities, and media innovation insights delivered weekly. Join us! Authorities claimed that Novaya Gazeta Europe “created and disseminated […] Read more »
IPI joins coalition calling on Sierra Leone to protect internet access during election June 22, 2023 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 […] Read more »
Kenya: Government officials must cease attacks on media June 22, 2023 The IPI global network condemns the attack on Nation Media Group (NMG) by a top Kenyan government official, Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Moses Kuria, and calls on government officials to allow the media and journalists to carry out their work without fear of reprisals in any forms. According to reports, on June 19, Moses Kuria […] Read more »
Palestine: IPI condemns shooting of journalist Hazem Nasser by Israeli forces June 22, 2023 IPI Contributor Katherine Dailey IPI strongly condemns the attack on Hazem Nasser, a photojournalist at al-Ghad TV channel, who was shot and seriously wounded during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on June 19. Similarly to Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2022, […] Read more »
Biden must raise press freedom issues during Modi state visit June 21, 2023 IPI Contributor Rowan Humphries The IPI global network calls for U.S. President Joe Biden to prioritize press freedom issues in India while he hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week. The alarming deterioration of press freedom in India must be halted, and Biden must make tackling these issues at home and abroad a priority. Modi is in the […] Read more »
#IPIWoCo Recap: Cybercrime laws: A new frontline for press freedom June 21, 2023 With the abuse of cybercrime laws to target journalists on the rise globally, states must ensure that a planned U.N. cybercrime treaty does not undermine freedom of expression, a panel of experts said at the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival. Cybercrime laws are increasingly being used to criminalize a wide scope of […] Read more »
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) Stay […] 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. Stay informed. Stay engaged. Join thousands of journalists […] Read more »
