Middle East

Women chant slogans and wave signs on Istiklal street during a demonstration marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdrew Turkey from Istanbul Convention, which is an international human rights treaty of aiming to protect women against violence. © Burak Kara/Getty Images

Fears Over Turkey’s Looming Exit from Istanbul Convention

Erdogan accused of courting “conservative cults” with controversial move.

14 May 21

Turkish journalists with a banner that reads "Free press is necessary for democracy". Turkey ranks 153rd out of 180 countries in this year’s RSF World Press Freedom Index. © Evrensel daily

The Campaign to Silence Turkish Journalists

Prosecutions, house arrest and travel bans among multiple threats deployed by the state.

1 May 21

Yazidi refugees celebrate news of the liberation of Sinjar from ISIS extremists, while at a refugee camp on November 13, 2015 in Derek, Rojava, Syria. The Islamic State captured Sinjar in August 2014, killing many and sexually enslaving thousands of Yazidi women. © John Moore/Getty Images

Iraq: Justice for Survivors as Activists Overturn Taboos

“They think being a good woman means you must be silent.”

8 Mar 21

Demonstrators protesting for women's rights and against government corruption march through Beirut, Lebanon on November 3, 2019. © Sam Tarling/Getty Images

Can Women Speak Out in Lebanon?

The country’s social, legal and political systems are all built along patriarchal lines.

8 Mar 21

For Justice campaign artwork by IWPR’s Liberated T, Syrian advocacy campaign. © Liberated T

Syria: Shame and Silence

The regime knew what it was doing when it added sexual violence to its arsenal of weapons.

8 Mar 21

A scene from Aleppo, photo from 2013. © Zakaria Abdulkafi/AFP

Syria: The Burning Man

From reporting on war in Aleppo to protests in the streets of Paris.

9 Feb 21

A man carries a child rescued from rubble after Syrian regime and Russian air strikes in the rebel-held town of Nawa in southern Syria on June 26, 2018. © Ahmad Al-Msalam/AFP via Getty Images

Writing for Syria

“When I see the people I’m reporting on, I can't just give up in despair.”

9 Feb 21

Aya Ameer (L) and her relative Duaa Mohamed during a protest at Tahrir Square in Baghdad.

Iraqi Women Will Not Be Silenced

Wave after wave of protest has shown what freedom of expression really means.

9 Feb 21

In recent years Iraqi artists have developed their street art and caricatures in support of the anti-government movements. © Erin Trieb/Getty Images

“My Art is a Tool to Defend Freedom”

How one IWPR trainee uses political cartoons as a call for action.

9 Feb 21

Demonstrators mark the one-year anniversary of anti-government protests on October 17, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. On the one year anniversary since the unprecedented mass protests of Lebanese demanding political change as the country buckled under social and economic devastation. © Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images

More Than Ever, Lebanon Needs Media Freedom

How can we recover from our crisis and rebuild our country if we cannot speak out?

9 Feb 21

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Middle East

Fears Over Turkey’s Looming Exit from Istanbul Convention

The Campaign to Silence Turkish Journalists

Iraq: Justice for Survivors as Activists Overturn Taboos

Can Women Speak Out in Lebanon?

Syria: Shame and Silence

Syria: The Burning Man

Writing for Syria

Iraqi Women Will Not Be Silenced

“My Art is a Tool to Defend Freedom”

More Than Ever, Lebanon Needs Media Freedom

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