JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

Nadio Momand was a journalist and a law student in Afghanistan. But with the Taliban back in power, she has left her home and her dreams behind.

The journalism landscape in Afghanistan has undergone a significant and distressing transformation following the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021.

Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved a bill banning advertising on publications by “foreign agents”, a designation authorities have given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists and media.

In an interview with Le Monde, the Russian exiled journalist and opponent of the Putin regime talks about her work in Ukraine documenting the abuses committed by Russian forces and her hopes for the future of her country

With 29 journalists currently imprisoned, and 280 journalists and media organisations proclaimed “foreign agents”, Russia sits almost at the bottom of the Press Freedom Index. Even for those in exile, the danger remains.

The death of Aleksei A. Navalny in a Russian prison has been a blow to an opposition movement in which he was the figurehead. But it has also raised hopes of a united front against President Vladimir V. Putin.

Publications like The Insider are caught between state censorship and hostile platform dynamics.

In exile, once-profitable independent Russian media outlets have been severed from what had been their main base of subscribers and advertisers, who are forbidden from supporting them. Their business models are no longer viable.

Former Afghan journalist Hedayatullah Zyarmal, who now lives in Bruchhausen-Vilsen, talks about his desire to continue his media work and the hurdles he has to overcome.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, there have been numerous scandals related to the surveillance of Russians abroad by Moscow’s intelligence services and alleged Russian spies working in foreign countries.

Exiled Russian journalists, countering Kremlin control abroad, face a lot of risks and funding challenges. Navigating exile, they strive to keep Russian journalism alive.

In an interview, Kyrill Martynov talks about Russian news media in exile, operating out of Riga, Latvia, and the challenges that working in exile poses for news gathering and press freedom.

Afghanistan’s once thriving media sector has been facing myriad challenges under Taliban rule. Despite all challenges, however, Afghan journalists continue to produce factual, objective news.

Resisting the Taliban’s efforts to make women in Afghanistan invisible, a group of female journalists establishes an online magazine. An interview with Zahra Nader, founder of ZanTimes.

Independent Afghan newspaper Etilaatroz faces challenges after the Taliban’s return in 2021. Journalists emphasize the importance of international support for press freedom, legal aid, and training.

Exiled Afghan journalist Zahra Nader confronts Taliban oppression. Her news outlet Zan Times investigates issues like suicides and forced marriages, involving both in-country and exiled journalists.

OWEP editor-in-chief Gemma Pörzgen travelled to Riga, which has become the most important refuge, as Russian journalists and editorial teams increasingly choose exile for independent reporting.