Russian police in Crimea send warning letter to local independent journalist On 2 November 2022, Crimean Tatar journalist Zidan Adzhikelyamov informed he had received a warning letter from local police in Sovyetskiy, a town in Eastern Crimea. Adzhikelyamov said police were accusing him of “organizing mass riots”, “public appeals to engage in extremism” and of “public appeals to actions aiming to violate the territorial integrity of […] Read more »
Public Event: Protect Journalists. Protect Democracy (Vienna, Nov. 2, 2022) Journalists uncover truth and hold the powerful to account. They bring us critical news and information that makes our societies safer and our democracies stronger. But their work comes at great risk. Journalism today is one of the world’s most dangerous professions. More than 900 journalists and media workers have been killed in the past […] Read more »
IPI joins Anti-SLAPP Declaration and Call To Action October 27, 2022 Following the first European Anti-SLAPP Conference, the International Press Institute (IPI) joins its partners in the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) in calling on governments across Europe to take immediate legislative and practical action to protect journalists and other public watchdogs from the growing threat of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). SLAPPs are […] Read more »
Daily Star | Free speech the collateral damage of Covid in Bangladesh October 22, 2022 Pinaki Roy and Wasim Habib, Daily Star IPI’s media partners in the South Asia Cross-border journalism project in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal document press freedom violations in their countries. [separator style_type=”single” top_margin=”20px” bottom_margin=”20px” sep_color=”#c4c4c4″ border_size=”1px” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””] When Covid-19 began to spread at an exponential rate across countries in January 2020, ministers and government officials in […] Read more »
IPI leads international mission to Turkey, Oct. 12 – 14, 2022 October 12, 2022 A coalition of international journalism, press freedom and human rights groups will carry out a three-day mission to Turkey this week to investigate serious, continued threats to independent journalism in the country. Spotlight: IPI’s Turkey newsletter Receive breaking news, track the state of press and media freedom, access detailed factsheets on ongoing challenges, and discover […] Read more »
Mexico: New cases of Pegasus surveillance detected October 10, 2022 By IPI Contributor Mauritza Klingspor The IPI global network is alarmed by new revelations that journalists and activists in Mexico have been targeted by Pegasus, spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group. We call on Mexican authorities to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the use of this surveillance technology to snoop on the press and other […] Read more »
Afghanistan: Two independent media outlets suspended October 8, 2022 By IPI Contributor Anna Valentinyi The IPI global network is deeply concerned by the increasing attacks on media freedom in Afghanistan following the suspension of two online media outlets, Hasht-e Subh Daily and Zawia News by the Taliban. IPI calls on the Taliban to stop censoring the media and allow Hasht-e Subh Daily and Zawia News to operate under their domain names. On Monday, […] Read more »
Ukrainian journalist held in Crimea sentenced to 13 years on espionage charges On 6 October 2023, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) reported that Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Tsyhipa had been sentenced to 13 years in prison on espionage charges, by a court in Russian-occupied Crimea. NUJU expressed its solidarity with the imprisoned journalist. The union also quoted Tsyhipa’s wife Olena, who said that the prison […] Read more »
Spain: Ensuring justice for women journalists targeted by online harassment October 5, 2022 Online harassment hinders the ability of women journalists to carry out their journalistic activities, affects personal lives, and threatens their safety. Women journalists regularly encounter lack of support in their cases, and are advised to limit social media presence or worse – to get used to the attacks as being a part of their job. […] Read more »
RusNews journalist Andrey Kichev expelled from college and handed mobilization order On 26 September 2022, Russian online media RusNews said Andrey Kichev, a journalist for the portal in Arkhangelsk, had received a mobilization order and was expelled from college. This information was confirmed by Russian human rights activist Ilya Leshukov. Stay informed. Stay engaged. Join thousands of journalists who receive the IPI Weekly Digest—press freedom news, […] Read more »
Russian forces attempt to strike TV tower in Zaporizhia On 22 September 2022, Russian forces attempted to strike a TV tower in Zaporizhia by firing a series of missiles on the city. According to local authorities, the tower itself was not damaged, but missiles landed in the area, blasting windows at a television center operating nearby. This forced media workers at the local office […] Read more »
MFRR monitoring report documents attacks on media in Ukraine September 16, 2022 This text is originally published in a monitoring report by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) which can be download in full here. This analysis covers the first six months of 2022. Media freedom in Europe in the first half of 2022 has been overshadowed by Russia’s devastating war of aggression in Ukraine. […] Read more »
European Media Freedom Act breaks significant new ground September 16, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins the undersigned journalists’, media freedom, and human rights organisations in welcoming the European Commission’s initiative to strengthen the free and pluralistic media system and the commitment to protect journalists and editorial independence within the European Union. These values directly link to fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, […] Read more »
#IPIWoCo Recap: Finding justice for the killing of journalists September 14, 2022 In the face of escalating violence towards the press around the world, we must tackle impunity as a root cause, according to panelists at the 2022 IPI World Congress session “Ending impunity for the killing of journalists: Alternative paths to justice?” Moderated by president of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Jodie Ginsberg, the session […] Read more »
Guinea: One year after coup, transitional authorities must protect press September 14, 2022 Between May and August 2022, at least 14 journalists were detained or attacked in Guinea, including by security forces and public officials as well as protestors. One year after Guinea’s September 2021 military coup, IPI reminds Guinea’s transitional government authorities that independent media and press freedom are indispensable for a democratic transition. We call on […] Read more »
IPI General Assembly Resolution: Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh September 10, 2022 The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 71st annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on September 8, 2022 in New York City, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution calling for full justice for the killing of Palestinian-American journalist and IPI World Press Freedom Hero Shireen Abu Akleh. On May […] Read more »
IPI General Assembly Resolution: Press Freedom in Mexico and Central America The members of the International Press Institute (IPI), meeting at their 71st annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on September 8, 2022 in New York City, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution expressing deep concern over the deteriorating situation for press freedom and the safety of journalists in Mexico and Central America. Mexico […] Read more »
Shireen Abu Akleh and Carlos Dada named 2022 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Heroes August 31, 2022 IPI and IMS are proud to announce that distinguished Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a pioneering figure for women in media in the Middle East who was killed while on assignment this year, and El Salvador’s Carlos Dada, co-founder and director of El Faro, one of Latin America’s most prominent online investigative news outlets, […] Read more »
Turkey: International groups call to restore Evrensel’s right to receive public ads August 26, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI) and 18 press freedom, freedom of expression and human rights organisations call on the Turkish Press Advertising Agency (BİK) to withdraw without delay its alarming decision to revoke the right of the independent Evrensel newspaper to receive public ads, a vital source of financial income for the publication. BİK has […] Read more »
Greece: The government must not cover up “Greek Watergate” August 25, 2022 By The Manifold, an investigative media outlet covering Greece Despite mounting pressure, the Greek government is still refusing to provide substantive answers regarding the revelations that two journalists and an MEP and leader of an opposition party have been targeted for surveillance by EYP (the Greek Intelligence Service), as well as by yet unknown operators using the spyware “Predator”. The affair concerns two distinct […] Read more » TaggedBy The Manifold
Ukraine: Media battle for survival as war passes six-month mark August 24, 2022 To mark the six-month anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine and to honour the country’s Independence Day, the International Press Institute (IPI) and our global network today reaffirm our steadfast support for our courageous Ukrainian members and the country’s wider journalistic community. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, IPI’s Ukraine War Press […] Read more »
Belarus: Two years of state terror against independent journalism August 9, 2022 Two years on from the fraudulent presidential election and the wide-ranging crackdown that followed, IPI and our global network today renew our steadfast support for persecuted Belarusian journalists and call on the international community not to lose sight of the severity of the regime’s brutal clampdown on press freedom. Since the election on August 9, […] Read more »
Poland: Ombudsman urged to reconsider legal challenge to Polska Press acquisition August 5, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins press freedom groups in writing to the Polish Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek to urge his office to reconsider its decision not to file a secondary appeal against a recent court ruling regarding the controversial takeover of regional publisher Polska Press by a state-controlled oil company. Dear Polish […] Read more »
IPI calls on DRC authorities to release journalist Joseph Kazadi Kamwanga August 2, 2022 On July 13, Joseph Kazadi Kamwanga, a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) journalist, was arrested and detained alongside his colleague Nicholas Niarchos, an American journalist who works with The Nation and The New Yorker. Kamwanga and Niarchos were arrested by the state intelligence service, l’Agence Nationale de Renseignement (ANR), in Lubumbashi, in the south of DRC. While […] Read more »
IPI demands immediate release of Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora August 1, 2022 Vilma Aholuoto, Helsingin Sanomat Foundation Journalism Fellow at IPI The IPI global network calls on Guatemalan authorities to release and drop charges against journalist and IPI World Press Freedom Hero José Rubén Zamora, president and founder of the newspaper elPeriódico. Zamora was arrested at his home in Guatemala City on Friday on charges including alleged money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling. The newspaper and […] Read more »
Malta: Greater urgency needed in implementing Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry July 29, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins other European media freedom and journalists’ rights organisations in expressing renewed concern about the lack of implementation of the recommendations of the milestone Public Inquiry into the assassination of Malta’s leading investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia. On the first anniversary of the Public Inquiry report’s publication, we urge […] Read more »
Ten years of Russia’s foreign agent law: Evolution of a press freedom crackdown July 25, 2022 IPI Contributor Daniel Salaru Russia’s now-notorious foreign agent law – a key tool for repressing independent media – first emerged ten years ago, in July 2012. Its development provides a unique lens for tracking the expansion of authoritarian control within the country. Long abused by the government, the law was instrumental in causing self-censorship and a mass exodus of […] Read more »
SLAPPs in Romania: The rise of lawsuits used to threaten the media and free speech (Libertatea) July 14, 2022 Diana Meseșan and Răzvan Luțac, Libertatea This piece is published in collaboration with Libertatea as part of a content series on threats to independent media in Central Europe. Read more. On December 2, 2020, Bucharest’s District 4 mayor Daniel Băluță, a former dentist who was elected to office in 2016, sued two investigative journalists from the Romanian daily newspaper Libertatea, as well as the […] Read more »
U.S. President Biden must prioritize press freedom during Middle East visit July 13, 2022 The IPI global network urges U.S. President Joe Biden to prioritize press freedom during his diplomatic visits this week with leaders in Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, all of which have seen recent egregious attacks on journalists and media freedom that remain mired in impunity. We stand with our friends at the Committee to Protect […] Read more »
Court registers case against The Insider Editor-in-Chief for “discrediting” the Russian army On 27 July 2022, a court in Moscow registered a case against journalist Roman Dobrokhotov, accusing him of “discrediting” the Russian army. If found guilty, the Editor-in-Chief of The Insider could face a fine of up to 50,000 rubles. Stay informed. Stay engaged. Join thousands of journalists who receive the IPI Weekly Digest—press freedom news, […] Read more »
Albania: PM Edi Rama must reverse journalist press conference ban July 6, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI) was today joined by international press freedom organisations in writing an open letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama to protest against his move to ban journalists from attending government press conferences. Read Albanian translation below Subject: Open letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama from international press freedom groups […] Read more »
IPI joins Africa media stakeholders in strengthening the Digital Platform for the Safety of Journalists July 6, 2022 The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, publishers and leading journalists for media freedom, has formally joined the media stakeholders in Africa engaged in the Digital Platform for the Safety of Journalists (https://safetyofjournalistsinafrica.africa/), having signed a partnership agreement to strengthen the platform. “I welcome this much-needed support from our partner the International […] Read more »
Joint statement on the European Media Freedom Act June 30, 2022 Click here to read our organisations’ letter to Prime Minister Petr Fiala and EU leaders about the European Media Freedom Act and the upcoming Czech Presidency ——————————- The European Commission is currently finalising the draft proposal for a European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). We thank the European Commission for taking on this task and the […] Read more »
