JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

Coffee in the morning, fear by afternoon: an Afghan journalist works undercover for an exiled media outlet, dreading every knock at the gate. After interviewing a woman with a disability about domestic violence, she halts publication — fearing surveillance cameras could expose her identity.

Journalists usually report the news, not live it. At NEMO’s latest Knowledge Exchange Session, representatives from independent exiled media organizations turned that around, reflecting on their own experience of forced relocation: rebuilding infrastructure, securing digital access, and starting over in unfamiliar countries.

The internet is a haven for journalism in countries where press freedom is endangered. Exiled outlets report from abroad, beyond the reach of domestic regulators and press laws. But no space is truly safe: in recent years autocracies have innovated to promote their agendas online, exploit social media algorithms, and block critical media.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 challenged much of the common Western understanding of Russia. How can the world better understand Russia? What are the steps forward for Western policy? The Eurasia Center’s “Russia Tomorrow” series seeks to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow.

Russia’s parliament unanimously passed a law targeting exiled critics, including “foreign agents,” with frozen bank accounts, revoked driving licenses, and denied consular services like passport renewal. RSF warns the Kremlin is extending repression beyond its borders to silence independent journalism abroad.

Myanmar Satirical Journalism sits at the center of one of the most dramatic press-freedom reversals documented anywhere on this site: a media landscape that had genuinely opened during the 2011 to 2021 reform period collapsed back into severe restriction within weeks of the February 2021 military coup.

Since Russians invasian in 2022 many journalists emigrated to keep independently reporting about the war to Russians, many outlets have launched English-language versions of their publications in order to find new revenue streams to support their work, as the Russian authorities have introduced increasingly restrictive legal measures targeting support for independent media.

Amu TV was born out of the collapse of Afghanistan’s media landscape, and is one of the most influential exiled media outlets serving Afghanistan today. By broadcasting via satellite from the US, the channel has bypassed Taliban censorship and reached millions of viewers inside the country, offering a rare space for uncensored news, political debate, entertainment, and more.

Strong institutions make the Baltic states global leaders in media freedom, while independent local media across the Eastern Partnership face unstable, crisis-driven funding and constrained decision-making power. This article presents a report on media development, looking at three interconnected themes: Funding, local ownership, and adaptation.

Nicaraguan journalists who sought refuge in Costa Rica say they are facing surveillance and intimidation linked to the Ortega regime. The reports suggest that repression extends beyond Nicaragua’s borders, undermining Costa Rica’s role as a safe haven and exposing the growing risks of transnational repression for journalists who continue reporting from exile.

A new GIJN feature explores how investigative journalists from Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia collaborate across borders to uncover corruption and environmental crime in the Black Sea region. The story highlights how international partnerships, shared expertise and secure cross-border reporting help sustain accountability journalism under increasing political pressure.

A coalition of human rights organizations warns that Vietnamese authorities are expanding repression beyond national borders, targeting journalists and critics living in Thailand. The cases of exiled journalists Truong Duy Nhat and Duong Van Thai highlight the risks faced by independent reporters abroad, including surveillance, intimidation, detention and threats of forced return.

Exiled Azerbaijani media outlets Meydan TV and AbzasMedia have won the 2026 Free Media Pioneer Award, a recognition presented by the International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) to organizations advancing independent journalism and the free flow of information. The award comes at a time of unprecedented pressure on independent media in Azerbaijan.

CIVICUS discusses the repression of press freedom in Djibouti with Zineb Haddaji, an exiled independent journalist who covers Djibouti and the Horn of Africa for international outlets and documents freedom of expression violations. Zineb is the founder of ZoomIn, a weekly TikTok series on daily life and systemic issues in Djibouti.

ANEM announced that four journalists were forced to leave Serbia due to, as it states, repression by the authorities, targeting campaigns and threatened security. The reason for ANEM’s new warning was the departure of military analyst and Nedeljnik contributor Radić, who left the country after pro-government media published footage of him being tracked.

As Russian authorities tighten the screw on popular messaging app Telegram and promote a state-backed “super app” that observers say could act as a surveillance tool, independent journalists and media outlets inside and outside Russia say it will become more difficult to report stories securely and stay connected to audiences.

Exiled journalists often struggle to navigate mental health while facing challenges presented by language barriers, burnout, and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Some, also face an identity crisis causing them to lose their professional identity, audiences, and the newsroom communities that shaped their daily lives.

Information control has long been central to the Kremlin. Since Vladimir Putin took power, independent journalism has faced growing repression, accelerated after the Kursk submarine disaster (2000), the Moscow theater siege (2002), and the Beslan school hostage crisis (2004). Critical outlets were punished, steadily eroding Russia’s independent media.