Training and Technology Support Justice Processes, But Challenges Remain
Authors of landmark study identify Ukrainian achievements amid ongoing hostilities.
Rifle Commander to be Tried for Sexual Violence
Wanted man believed to be in territory of Luhansk oblast, where he is serving with militia forces.
Tuesday, 28 November ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Harsh Victory at Position X
Commitment, sacrifice and luck secured a vital early win in the south-eastern campaign, but can Ukrainian forces press on?
Rose Revolution Still Haunts Georgia
The political upheaval of 2003 was a seminal moment in the country’s history, but its legacy is up for debate.
Ukraine: Justice on the Frontlines
Kharkiv investigators bring skills, technology and perseverance to the risky task of documenting war crimes.
Tuesday, 21 November ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Russian Paratrooper Faces New Charges for Abusing Civilians
Major accused of brutal treatment in Bucha in addition to similar offences in Irpin during March 2022.
How Women Market Traders are Revitalising Village Life in Izmir
Female entrepreneurship has boosted the local economy and is passing cultural heritage to future generations.
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.
Iraq: Bringing Faith Communities Together
Grassroots efforts promote solidarity between members of different religions.
Georgia: Special Peace Prize Winner Announced
Winning article follows the struggles of an ethnically-mixed village.
Georgia: Hackathon for Hi-Tech Solutions
Specialists develop innovative tools for eco-friendly journalism.
IWPR Launches CABAR.asia Media School
Website brings together educational resources with up-to-date video trainings.
Tajik Media Losing Relevance
Independent print outlets at risk of disappearing altogether.
IWPR Surveys Media and Civil Society in Central Asia
Experts emphasise need for closer contact and more cooperation.
IWPR Brings Female Syrian Activists to the Netherlands
Women seize opportunity to debunk myths surrounding the conflict.
IWPR Summer School Wraps Up in Bishkek
Twenty specialists took part in classes run by regional and international trainers.
Central Asia's New School of Analytic Journalism
Ten-day course equips young journalists with specialist tools.
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.