Tag JiR Interview
28 Oct

“If I were in Azerbaijan right now, I would probably be in prison” Exiled journalist Parvana Gurbanli about how the regime is punishing independent journalism

Azerbaijan has long been considered an authoritarian regime. For many years, the press has been restricted. But the 2022 “On Media” Law finally bans independent journalism.

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31 Jul

“Good Russians are no less dangerous” – Journalist Iryna Avramenko about Russian opposition media.

Journalist Iryna Avramenko exposes how Russian liberal media echo imperial propaganda, and why Ukraine’s info war is also a cultural fight.

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22 Jul

“I can’t imagine conditions that will be acceptable for Ukraine” – The Bell’s Irina Malkova and Peter Mironenko on the value of truth in the face of state propaganda

In an exclusive interview, Irina Malkova and Peter Mironenko, co-founders of The Bell, speak about press freedom under Putin, the rise of state propaganda, building resilient journalism in exile, and their refusal to surrender truth.

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27 Feb

“This Is a Lifetime’s Work” – Interview with a Ukrainian Journalist on Her Personal Stories from a War-Torn Nation

Anastasiia Bereza, a Ukrainian journalist, shares her journey of documenting war, preserving the memories of fallen soldiers, and the emotional toll of frontline reporting.

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11 Nov

“If we, as journalists, are the ones able to deliver the truth, we are honoured to do so.” Azerbaijani journalist Islam Shikhali on the mass imprisonment of journalists, digital wiretapping and COP29

Azerbaijani journalist Islam Shikhali talks about mass surveillance, threats to press freedom, and the impact of COP29 in an exclusive interview.

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14 Aug

“The cost of being able to speak freely about the Armenian Genocide was undoubtedly enormous.”

Vartan Estukyan is a dissident journalist in Turkey belonging to the Armenian community. He writes for the Agos newspaper, one of the few Turkish-Armenian media outlets in Turkey which aims to make the voices of Armenians in Turkey heard by the wider public.

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19 Jul

“When all our reporting, all our drops, come together, they form an ocean” – Environmental and urban journalism in Turkey

Hazal Ocak is an investigative journalist from Turkey reporting on environmental and urban topics. By writing about environmental injustices, she attempts to amplify the “voice of many creatures such as trees and squirrels” on this planet.

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3 May

“We cannot put down the pen” – Nedim Türfent on Kurdish journalism in Turkey

Journalist for 12 years, Nedim Türfent was imprisoned for nearly 7 years for his work.

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8 Mar

“Resisting together means living together” – Female journalism in Turkey

Özgür Sevinç Şimşek was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison in Turkey for her journalistic activities. Şimşek, who is also a film director, regained her freedom in 2021 after having spent 5 and a half years behind bars.

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20 Dec

“Journalism is a job for those who are brave enough to bear the consequences”

Armağan Kabaklı, a devoted local journalist from Turkey committed to covering environmental and policy issues, joined ECPMF’s Journalists-in-Residence Programme, after the devastating earthquakes on 6 February 2023 that destroyed 11 cities and when his investigative reporting triggered a criminal case.

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