CPJ’s support to exiled journalists jumped 227% in 3 years

This map is a snapshot of journeys into exile taken by some journalists CPJ helped between 2021 and 2023. (Data and map by CPJ Emergencies Administrator Anastasia Tkach)

This map is a snapshot of journeys into exile taken by some journalists CPJ helped between 2021 and 2023. (Data and map by CPJ Emergencies Administrator Anastasia Tkach)

Journalists have been increasingly fleeing for safety, as shown in a newly published analysis of CPJ’s assistance data over the past three years.

To mark World Refugee Day on June 20, CPJ shed light on the crackdowns that cause journalists to flee and the urgent circumstances particular to journalists as CPJ continues to advocate for dedicated emergency visas. 

Highlights:

The spike in support—a crucial focus of CPJ’s work—underscores the growing number of journalists fleeing their home countries, and the growing need for assistance.

“Exile should be a last resort,” Westcott writes. “But it’s still a chance for freedom, which journalists need to survive and tell the stories that shape our world.”

🗺️ Explore journeys into exile taken by journalists who received support from CPJ between 2021 & 2023 with our interactive map.

📑 Read and share our Digital Safety Guide and Digital Security Checklist for journalists in exile.

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Spotlight

CPJ staff visits Rustavi Prison, where imprisoned journalist Nika Gvaramia was serving a 3.5-year sentence, with Gvaramia’s wife, Sofia Liluashvili, and lawyer, Tamta Muradashvili, on June 9, 2023. From the left: Tamta Muradashvili, Kerry Paterson, Lucy Westcott, and Sofia Liluashvili. (CPJ)

On Thursday, June 22, journalist Nika Gvaramia was pardoned by Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili.

Gvaramia, founder and director of independent broadcaster Mtavari Arkhi, had been serving a 3.5-year prison sentence since May 2022 for alleged abuse of office during his previous role as director of another broadcaster.

Earlier this month, CPJ visited Georgia and pressed authorities to release Gvaramia. The visit included a meeting with Gvaramia’s wife, Sofia Liluashvili, outside the prison where Gvaramia was being held. Liluashvili told CPJ on Thursday that she was on her way to the prison after hearing about the pardon in the news.

“We are thrilled that Nika Gvaramia has been pardoned. He should never have been jailed, and his continued imprisonment stood at odds with the country’s purported commitment to press freedom,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.

In April, CPJ and 10 other major rights organizations wrote to Zurabishvili, calling on her to release Gvaramia.

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