Ukraine: Learning From The ICTY
Former investigator highlights key lessons that can be garnered from the 17 years of the tribunal’s existence.
Russian Commander to be Tried for Torture and Extortion
A colonel kept Ukrainian captives in a narrow pit, ordered their abuse and extorted money from relatives.
Tuesday, 10 October ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Ukraine Justice: “Reporting the Story is Just the Start”
Journalists need training and support to properly cover war crimes trials.
Nagorny Karabakh: “My Children Don’t Know What Peace Is”
Some 100,000 civilians have fled the disputed region, facing an uncertain future and an unclear legal status.
Belarusians Abroad Face Document Limbo
A new decree requires citizens to renew passports in-country, putting exiled government critics at risk.
Russian Soldier Sentenced for Brutal Treatment of Civilians and Looting
Officer shot and wounded two Ukrainian men and ordered various premises robbed.
Nagorny Karabakh: The Consequences of International Inaction
The absence of progress in outside mediation has been crucial in spurring Azerbaijan’s military option.
Tuesday, 3 October ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Challenging Hate Speech Head-On in Burma
Team of monitors will identify anti-minority rhetoric and engage with those who spread it as well as audiences likely to be swayed by it.
Shifting Ground in Azerbaijan-Armenia Confrontation
Analysts examine new trends as geopolitical context evolves.
Major Press Freedom Award for IWPR Syria Coordinator
Writer and trainer Zaina Erhaim is honoured again for her work in the war zone.
More Help Needed for Armenia's Yezidi Refugees
Local community asks for government backing for its efforts to help those arriving from Iraq.
Journalists Acquire Skills to Probe Corruption in Nigeria
Rigorous scrutiny of civil and military authorities should make them more accountable.
Caucasus: EU Prize for Peace Journalism 2015
Last call for submissions – deadline Monday, November 2.
Remembering Ammar Al Shahbander
Life of much-missed friend, colleague and family man celebrated with moving tributes.
Syria: The Journalist Who Went Back
IWPR’s Syria coordinator Zaina Erhaim speaks on CNN’s Amanpour show.
Sierra Leone: Countering Corruption, One Story at a Time
Investigative journalism skills essential to uncovering corruption and wrongdoing.
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.
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.