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Despite being forced into exile in 2018, dissident blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh continues to write about social justice and human rights issues concerning Vietnam. More popularly known as Me Nam or “Mother Mushroom,” she gained recognition for her posts on environmental pollution and police abuse.
Like much of Belarus’s independent media sector, Hrodna.life is struggling for sustainability in exile. Forced to relocate to the EU, the team lost not only the advertising market but also direct contact with the audience it serves. They saved themselves from prison but lost the opportunity to breathe the same air as their readers – and this is crucial for local media like theirs.
The picture painted of Afghanistan by Amnesty International on World Press Freedom Day is bleak: the Taliban fiercely repress freedom of expression with all kinds of intimidation, arrests, torture, and media closures. A significant number of media outlets have closed due to Taliban-imposed restrictions and the economic crisis.
In the article, journalist Nikita Sologub shares how independent media like Mediazona continue reporting in Russia despite mounting repression. Founded to expose abuses in the Russian prison system, Mediazona has operated for over a decade, even as press freedom has deteriorated and the state increasingly targets dissenting voices.
Exile Hub is one of Global Voices’ partners in Southeast Asia, emerging in response to the 2021 coup in Myanmar. In this press statement by Exile Hub, the organization underscores the growing importance of press freedom in Myanmar, highlighting the ongoing persecution of journalists who continue to fight for truth and justice despite the oppressive conditions and their forced exile.
On World Press Freedom Day, Global Voices turns their attention to the independent outlets operating in exile due to censorship, harassment, or direct threats. One such voice is Muwatin, a London-based independent media outlet reporting on issues from the Arabian Gulf, founded by the editor and researcher Mohammed Al-Fazari.
Mizzima News, an independent media outlet, has continued to report on Myanmar’s struggle for democracy despite the military coup in 2021. After the coup, Mizzima quickly adapted by relocating its operations to remote regions and using satellite broadcasting to bypass junta censorship.
Although physical attacks against journalists are the most visible violations of press freedom, economic pressure is also a major, more insidious problem. The economic indicator on the RSF World Press Freedom Index now stands at an unprecedented, critical low as its decline continued in 2025. As a result, the global state of press freedom is now classified as a “difficult situation” for the first time in the history of the Index.
The article by Maria Savushkina reflects on her personal experiences of fleeing Belarus in 2021 to escape arrest and then fleeing Ukraine after the war began. Through these traumatic journeys, she shares her insights on how oppression and war can profoundly change individuals. Savushkina also reflects on the human cost of conflict and the evolving threats posed by drones.
In her article, Mahtab Qolizadeh reflects on the challenges she faces as an exiled Iranian journalist in Berlin. After fleeing Iran to escape imprisonment and torture, she hoped to find freedom and purpose in writing, but instead feels lost and disconnected in her new life. Struggling with isolation and trauma, Qolizadeh grapples with the sense that her freedom lacks meaning, and she is haunted by memories of her imprisonment.
At the 2025 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Nick Slater spoke with Oleg Grigorenko, Editor-in-Chief of exiled Russian outlet 7×7 Horizontal Media, about how they’re using AI to fight news fatigue and reach Russian audiences with vital, independent reporting.
In this special World Press Freedom Day episode of Fellowship Takeaways, a podcast by the Reuters Institute, two exiled journalists speak on covering Russia and Syria from afar. They discuss the challenges of building trust, maintaining sources’ anonymity, the emotional toll of their work and what newsrooms can do better to support journalists in exile.
Arzu Geybullayeva examines the rising crisis of journalism in exile, focusing on Azerbaijani reporters forced to flee growing state repression. As global press freedom declines, Azerbaijan stands out as increasingly hostile to independent media. Exiled journalists, many now in Georgia or Europe, face surveillance, threats to loved ones, and isolation from sources.
When William McCarren talks about press freedom today, he doesn’t speak in abstract terms. The longtime executive director of the National Press Club and now head of its new Press Freedom Center sees a world where increasingly journalists are under siege—imprisoned, exiled, injured, or killed. The Barents Observer this week takes part in a event in Washington DC on defence of free journalism.
Independent media outlets exiled from Myanmar play a vital role in reporting on the civil war to destruction wrought by natural disasters, while influencing the political culture of the resistance. But, as Crisis Group expert Margarite Clarey explains, mounting challenges jeopardise these organisations’ work.
The Burundian media landscape poses immense challenges for journalists in this Central African country. They often receive death threats and work in a virtually permanent state of insecurity. In this article, Jean Sovon speaks with several journalists about the dangerous climate they face – marked by threats, censorship, and exile.
The article examines how Russia’s war in Ukraine has transformed the production of knowledge about the country, focusing on the role of exiled media and scholars. It highlights the ethical tensions between those abroad and those still in Russia, raising concerns about safety, representation, and knowledge extractivism in journalism and academia.
Since Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law, hundreds of media workers have gone into exile, founding independent outlets abroad. Global Voices is showcasing three overseas Hong Kong independent media outlets to help readers better understand the resilience of the journalist diaspora in their struggle for press freedom.