JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

The collection tells the story of the laureates of the “Voice of the Freedom Generation” award, founded by the Belarusian PEN in partnership with the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Press Club Belarus and Free Press for Eastern Europe endowment fund.

As part of the University of Texas at Austin’s International Education Week, leading journalists from three of the most affected countries will share their experiences of reporting in exile as part of a special virtual panel organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have extended the censorship imposed by their co-presidential regime to the internet. This effectively closes off the last remaining bastion of freedom of expression and of the press in Nicaragua for dissenting voices.

The two-day “Exiled Media Forum 2025” concluded in Hamburg, Germany, reaffirming international support for independent media operating outside their home countries. The event convened journalists, media executives, and freedom-of-expression advocates from Afghanistan, Belarus, Sudan, and other nations confronting repressive regimes.

Several exiled journalists from Afghanistan say that gaining access to information from inside the country has become one of their biggest challenges in reporting. They add that with the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on media and social media users, the process of obtaining information for exiled media outlets has become increasingly difficult.

She didn’t want to go into exile, but she had no choice: journalist Mascha Borzunova had to flee Russia. In Hamburg, exiled journalists from Russia, Egypt and Afghanistan describe their situation, pursued even in Germany. “At least we survived and still have readers in Russia,” says Katerina Abramova of Meduza.

Amid rising global repression and shrinking donor support, understanding how exile media remain viable, independent, and impactful is increasingly urgent. The study identifies key factors that enable media organizations to adapt, survive, and continue serving their communities from abroad. It also offers practical recommendations for exile media, media development actors, donors, and policymakers.

Interpol has rejected a request from Kyrgyz authorities to issue an international warrant for the co-founder of one of the country’s leading independent media outlets, calling the request politically motivated. OCCRP learned Thursday that Kyrgyzstan had asked Interpol to issue a so-called Red Notice for Rinat Tuhvatshin, the co-founder of Kloop, an award-winning outlet.

While independent online media outlets lost most of their funds due to current legislation, Georgia’s ruling party is said to be spending millions on favorable media organizations. In recent months, dozens of NGOs and media organizations have been subjected to inspections under the new laws, while many others have been forced to scale back or suspend their activities to avoid punitive consequences.

“In 2024, journalism in Latin America faced one of its most hostile environments in decades.” That’s the conclusion of the annual report from Voces del Sur, a coalition of 17 groups from across Latin America that promote freedom of expression and the protection of journalists.

The following resolution was adopted by the members of the International Press Institute (IPI) on October 15, 2025 by unanimous vote of those present at the 74th annual General Assembly, and presented at the IPI World Congress on October 25, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. Democratic states must adopt a comprehensive approach to assisting and protecting exiled journalists so they can continue their critical mission of informing the public and holding power to account.

When war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, a group of young Sudanese filmmakers were forced into exile. They also had to rethink their film. Khartoum (2025) had started out a year earlier as a collection of quiet observational sketches of ordinary lives in the capital. Now, it had to be reimagined as both the storytellers and their subjects scattered across borders.

A mission can mean many things: a diplomatic post, a military assignment, or spreading the gospel to convert nonbelievers. But journalist Ekaterina Fomina also calls her work a mission. The independent Russian reporter fled to Berlin shortly after Vladimir Putin escalated his war in February 2022. Since then, she has been reporting on Russia and Ukraine from exile.

Omidyar Network’s Tech Journalism Fund will provide project funding from $5,000 to $25,000 to support reporting costs for journalists working on a singular, time and resource intensive reporting project.

In order to support and guide these journalists and media in exile, CFI, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), SINGA and Maison des Journalistes (MDJ) are launching the Voices in Exile project, supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with the purpose of making France one of the main host countries for journalists in exile.

On the second day of the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the panel titled “Anatomy of Authoritarian Advance: Handbook of Tactics and Their Effect on the Media” was held, in which the strategies of authoritarian regimes to weaken press freedom in the region were presented.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns of Russia’s growing use of in absentia convictions against exiled Russian journalists and foreign media professionals. This repressive legal tactic is used to intimidate journalists, block their return to Russia and pressure their relatives,  and has become commonplace since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Polish politicians and government officials have voiced support for the Myanmar media and free speech to a delegation of Myanmar independent media houses on a recent study trip to Poland that included a workshop on disinformation and misinformation. The study trip for Myanmar independent media was supported by the Embassy of Poland in Bangkok.