ECPMF Factsheet Examines Transnational Repression Against Journalists in Exile
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), a member organisation of the Coalition Against Transnational Repression in Germany, has published a new factsheet examining the growing impact of transnational repression (TNR) against journalists in exile across Europe.
Drawing on data collected through the Mapping Media Freedom platform between January 2020 and June 2026, the publication documents attacks against journalists and media outlets living and working in exile in EU Member States and candidate countries.
According to the factsheet, journalists in exile continue to face a wide range of threats even after seeking refuge abroad, including legal harassment, physical attacks, threats, digital surveillance, spyware infections, hacking attempts, and restrictions on their professional activities. The report highlights how governments increasingly employ cross-border tactics to intimidate, silence, or punish journalists beyond their national borders.
The publication identifies transnational repression as a system through which states, state-linked actors, or their proxies target journalists abroad using a combination of physical, legal, digital, and psychological methods. These practices include surveillance, online harassment, threats against family members, abusive legal proceedings, misuse of international cooperation mechanisms, and efforts to force self-censorship or return to the country of origin.
The factsheet also features case studies involving exiled journalists from Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Egypt, Russia, Belarus, and other countries, illustrating the diverse methods used to target media professionals across borders.
The findings reinforce growing international concern that transnational repression poses a significant threat to press freedom, democratic participation, and the safety of journalists living in exile, including within Europe.
Read the full factsheet here: https://www.ecpmf.eu/
