Philippines Push Back Over China’s South Sea Actions
Reflecting public sentiment, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr warns that his country will not yield to “any foreign power”.
Russian Commander To be Tried for Killing Civilians
The charred remains of a local resident in the village of Lypivka led to the identification of the senior lieutenant.
Investigating War Crimes Under Daily Attack
In Kharkhiv region, constant shelling of the border territories is a significant obstacle to inspecting incident scenes and collecting evidence.
Tuesday, 25 June ‘24
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Georgia: Anger Soars Over “Foreign Agents” Law
The new legislation leaves the country on the verge of civil confrontation and international isolation.
What’s Behind Georgia’s “Foreign Agents” Law?
IWPR Caucasus director explains the background to the controversial legislation – and what may lie ahead.
Gaza: “Everyone Has a Family in Danger”
How local journalists cover the story amid intense physical and mental peril for themselves - and their loved ones.
Trial for Yahidne’s Human Shields Draws to an End
Defence claims that the convicted soldiers were not proven guilty in the nearly one year-long trial prove unsuccessful.
Tuesday, 18 June ‘24
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Returning Ukraine’s Children
Legal experts consider Russia’s wide-scale illegal displacement and deportation of minors to be a war crime.
Venezuela: Even the Priests Say Amen
Investigation reveals extent of the physical, social and psychological sway Columbian guerillas hold in border communities.
Migrating and Vanishing: But Who Can Hear You in the Desert?
In one Arizona morgue alone in the U.S. there are more than 300 unidentified remains of migrants.
Migrating and Vanishing: Interrupted Mourning
There is no unified mechanism for cross-referencing the DNA of searching families with the remains awaiting identification in U.S. morgues.
Migrating and Vanishing: Twice Disappeared
Overcrowded morgues and underreporting in Mexico's national database of missing persons.
Migrating and Vanishing: Searching for Answers
Lack of data and discrimination: Mexican authorities fail in the search for missing migrants.
Short Sleeves in Iraq
Defying social pressure to cope with the hardships of the summer heat.
IWPR Women’s Prize for Journalism
IWPR’s inaugural award for outstanding journalism recognises the work of our network of women reporters worldwide. Working in often challenging environments, these journalists face additional threats such as harassment, gender-based violence and systemic misogyny.
"What was significant for all three of us [judges] was how the stories stayed with us - not just for the amazing yet harrowing insights into these women’s lives but the courage it took for them to keep going, to experience the harshness in which they lived and to tell the world about it through their stories."
World Press Freedom Day 2024
On World Press Freedom Day we focus on local journalists facing myriad challenges in the tireless pursuit of truth and their enduring efforts to bring meaningful change.
Highlights from IWPR’s Consortium to Support Independent Journalism in Latin America (CAPIR).
An investigation by ContraCorriente, one of the investigative units IWPR supports in Honduras, revealed abuses including robbery, torture and kidnappings allegedly inflicted on citizens by police officers. The investigation also addressed how the state of emergency, in place since 2022, has allowed these abuses to occur with impunity. The authorities deny responsibility, claiming that organised criminal groups are using replica uniforms to pose as police officers.
A transnational publication by the investigative units of Plaza Pública and Criterio media revealed the huge extent of Asian cigarette smuggling in northern Central America. In addition to the health problems and millions of dollars lost to tax evasion, this also finances organised crime trafficking of drugs, weapons and humans. The investigation highlighted the failure of institutional efforts to stop this problem, aggravated by the complicity of officials who help falsify documents.
A story by the IWPR beneficiaries Guardiana and La Nube media outlets revealed the unauthorised sale of "medical preparations" to treat mental illnesses such as depression in a market in Cochabamba, one of Bolivia's largest cities. The story showed how products were marketed without information about their ingredients, including unlicensed natural remedies from Peru and Brazil. In response, the Cochabamba department of health announced it would increase the number of police operatives in the market where these products are sold.
Highlights from IWPR’s Central Asia network of analysis and investigations.
The construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan is causing water shortages in southern Uzbekistan, while in Kyrgyzstan the government is considering the construction of a nuclear power plant. In Kazakstan, conservation activists are working to save the Central Asian tortoise from extinction.
Elsewhere, CABAR delves into the efforts by Central Asian authorities to detect, reduce and prevent statelessness across the region.
The Oleksandra Technique: On the Road with Ukraine's Nobel Laureate
Ukraine's Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk embarks on a speaking tour across the US.
Moldova: Workshops Tackle Gender-Based Disinformation
Trainings explore how to identify, tackle and counter the phenomenon.
"Instead of Holding Guns, Let’s Hold Hands"
Regional event brings NGOs together to counteract conflict, instability and insecurity.
BREN Hague Fellowship Week
“We are going to share what we learned with our community and change some lives.”
Taylor Swift, Vladimir Putin and Kids Identifying as Cats
IWPR guide explores how malign actors use gendered narratives to disrupt societies – and lays out techniques to counter them.
New Cyber Resilience Handbook for Women Rights Groups
Guide offers civil society groups practical resources to combat online threats.
IWPR’s Latin America Work Wins Multiple Journalism Awards
Investigations have been recognised by prestigious juries representing the EU, UN and national awards.
IWPR International Women's Day Journalist of the Year
Prize to honour contributors, beneficiaries and partners working in often challenging environments.
Georgia: Peace Prize Winners Tell Tales of Reconciliation
“The root of the intractability of the conflict is the alienation between the parties.”
Lekso Award: Supporting Journalism and Human Rights
Pieces highlight plight of vulnerable and underrepresented communities in Georgia.
Preserving Media Freedom Amid Conflict
Round table highlights cases in which heavy-handed officials prevented access to information.
Gender-Sensitive Reporting in Times of War
New guidelines aim to support journalists in producing ethical conflict coverage.
Ukraine: Supporting Civil Society Oversight
Resources will enable public activists, journalists and ordinary citizens to monitor state expenditures and investigate corruption.
New Centre to Tackle Disinformation in Moldova
IWPR launches one-stop shop for media and civil society to address Moldova’s hybrid threats.
Building Resilience Across the Eastern Neighbourhood
BREN aims to strengthen civil society and enhance the inclusion of women and marginalised groups.
Combating Disinformation in Venezuela
Media and NGO alliance reveals extent to which the issue affects country’s online information space.
Ukraine Justice Report
Countering Disinformation in Moldova
Ukraine War Diary by Anthony Borden
Democratic accountability comes from journalists investigating their own societies – IWPR provides a much needed platform and support for those reporting from some of the most dangerous and difficult places in the world.
Disinformation is a major global threat , especially in conflict and post-conflict areas. IWPR performs a vital mission, building up local voices as a bulwark against this challenge.
IWPR fills a critical gap by helping local journalists to focus on human rights and justice issues. In the process, it contributes to democratic transitions, and demonstrates that the best war reporting is not about military conflict, but human consequences.