JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

The Kremlin is using legal means to go after its critics everywherem, even in Switzerland.
Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the number of NGOs, media outlets, and dissidents outside Russia who have come under the Kremlin’s scrutiny has been rising, and is expected to reach another record high this year.

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many independent Russian journalists and opposition politicians fled abroad, rebuilding their channels. This article argues that, operating from exile, they have fallen into a trap: creating great content, but the Kremlin controls it. They must shift to a radical new approach, teaching citizens inside Russia how to safely test reality.

In this article the Iranian writer and journalist Vorya H. Panahi Tazehabad, who lives in exile writes about his own personal experience with persecution, threats, political repression and ongoing safety hazards in exile. The digital age enabled making digital intimidation, monitoring or silencing dissenting voices harder to escape from a distance.

To mark World Refugee Day on 20 June, RSF released a map showing the exile of journalists supported by RSF since 2021. Against an international backdrop the number of countries from which media professionals fled has doubled in five years. For these journalists continuing their work is hampered by the dangers that come with it and the limitations of reception policies.

In January 2023, Johnn Williams Ntwali, an investigative independent journalist, died in an incident that the police described as a car accident. Colleagues and advocates for press freedom have questioned the circumstances of his death and pointed to the tightening of the state’s “invisible red lines” as well as the warning signs that had become increasingly clear by 2022.

While Finland ranks among the world leaders in press freedom, it still offers too few measures to help journalists forced into exile continue their work. This is the central finding of “When You Arrive in Finland, You Step into a Dark Room”, a report backed by eight Finnish organisations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Finland.

RSF is giving their supported exiled journalist the opportunity to tell their stories in their new blog series Blogreihe home². They write about their lives in between their old and new home, about language, identity, journalistic work and the challenges of a restart. The first edition is written by the Iraqi exiled journalist Shan Sabir living in Germany.

Journalists in exile clearly view the persecution in Russia as a form of totalitarian repression directed against any opposition to the war or criticism of the Kremlin. The Censorship is being tightened further and free access to the internet is being restricted, aiming at intimidating people further ahead of the upcoming elections and to suppress any sign of social resistance.

The International Center for Journalists has named Cuban exiled journalist and El Toque co-founder José J. Nieves a recipient of its 2026 Knight International Journalism Award. Forced to leave Cuba in 2022, Nieves has continued reporting on the island from abroad, documenting repression and amplifying voices silenced at home.

World Refugee Day draws attention to journalists who have been forced to flee their home countries due to threats, conflict, or repression. While exile is now recognized as a growing reality for journalists worldwide, the experiences of journalists CPJ supported last year reflect the reality that relocation does not necessarily bring safety.

The CPJ newletter sent out on the June 17, 2026 talks about current media developments in Latin America, such as threats and intimidations stopping Peruvian journalists from working, imprisonment of two Mexican Journalists in San Luis Potosí on allegations of deliberately and illegally manipulating a person’s digital identity and more.

During this Interview, conducted at a panel talk at Exile Media Hub Berlin, as part of jinn’s program, Editor-in-Chief Myint talks about the pratical and ethical realities of reporting on post-coup civil war realities from inside Myanmar and from exile. He mentions topics such as sustaining independent journalism, searching for viable revenue models in displacement and more.

Exile journalists in Europe are not safe from their authoritarian countries of origin: dictatorships persecute, threaten media workers critical of the regime beyond their own borders, even in states that are supposed to offer them protection. The EP adopted a resolution on transnational repression in the plenary on Tuesday, to which RSF contributed civil society expertise.

Today, the IPI and IMS are proud to announce this year’s recipients of the World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer awards, who together demonstrate remarkable courage, ingenuity, and resilience amid an increasingly challenging environment for press freedom and independent journalism around the world.

As the media battle expands between independent media and the Myanmar junta’s heavily funded and well-organized “disinformation” and “propaganda” campaign, by coup maker Min Aung Hlaing’ aimed at further cementing their grip with elections coming up. The independent media houses are arguably winning but struggling due to lack of funds.

It’s an understandable question. Across the sector, unrestricted funding feels harder to find than ever, especially after US aid cuts. Many organisations are juggling project grants, restricted contracts, and short-term opportunities while trying to cover the basic costs that keep operations running. This article explores new funding strategies and ongoing core support options.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing Russia to seize the property and bank balances of citizens living abroad before any court ruling, the Moscow Times reported. The legislation turns a single formal charge into an immediate asset freeze in absentia against exiled Kremlin critics. It takes effect on 1 September 2026.

Azerbaijani authorities are prosecuting critics in exile, often based on social media posts and online commentary, Human Rights Watch said today. Those targeted, often convicted in absentia with long sentences, are at risk of extradition, detention during travel, and other forms of cross-border pressure.