International Press Institute (IPI)

The International Press Institute (IPI) and eight other press freedom and human rights organisations wrote to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on September 11, 2026, urging his government to halt a rapid deterioration in press freedom. Journalists have disappeared, faced detention and criminal investigation, lost their jobs under pressure from government and law enforcement agencies, and been blocked from reporting in parts of the country.

The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes the release of journalists Ishraqa Abdelrahman, Mawahib Ibrahim, and Zahra Mohamed El Hassan after six months in detention by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). IPI calls on the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to release all other detained or disappeared journalists and to stop harassing and attacking the press.

Journalists, media outlets, and media workers across Europe faced verbal abuse, physical assault, deliberate obstruction of their work, and legal action in the first half of 2026. The International Press Institute (IPI) joined partner organisations in publishing the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) monitoring briefing for January to June 2026, which documents 736 attacks on 1,174 journalists and other media professionals across the EU member states and candidate countries.

Interview with Shirin Shity, Senior Marketing Manager at Project Syndicate — an international nonprofit media organisation that publishes and syndicates commentary and analysis on global issues. Shirin urges us to retire “AI-powered” and shares how their digital team keeps up with innovation without losing focus on what truly moves the needle. This side-chat took place at the 2026 IPI Media Innovation Festival in Vienna. Bring your take to the next #MIFest happening in Budapest, May 12-14, 2027.

The International Press Institute (IPI) condemns the abduction and torture of Newsday editor and human rights activist Kananelo Boloetse. IPI calls on Lesotho’s authorities to swiftly and thoroughly investigate this attack and hold the perpetrators accountable. Three unidentified men abducted Boloetse from his home in Katlehong, Maseru on September 5, 2026 and took him to a remote location, according to a statement published by Newsday.

In a September 3, 2026, letter, the International Press Institute (IPI) and 19 other organisations and experts urged G20 leaders to ensure all media organisations have fair and equal access to future G20 meetings. The letter follows the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision to block several journalists from prominent outlets from covering the most recent finance ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.

The International Press Institute (IPI) joins media organisations in Kenya in strongly condemning the abduction of Standard Group associate editor Alex Kiprotich by armed assailants.While Kenyan Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanji has ordered an investigation into holding the perpetrators accountable, IPI calls for that investigation to be credible and transparent and for Kenyan authorities to take firm action against escalating attacks on journalists.

IPI is joined by the MFRR partners today in lamenting the failure to convict the alleged mastermind in the trial for the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and hope that the demoralising verdict will swiftly be overturned on appeal. On 2 September, powerful Maltese business tycoon Yorgen Fenech was cleared by a jury of any involvement in the journalist’s 2017 car-bomb assassination, leaving the case in a state of partial impunity.

The International Press Institute (IPI) stands with the journalists of Nepal affected by the Himalayan flood disaster and calls on the international community to ensure support for local media is part of the humanitarian response. IPI also strongly condemns the Chinese government’s censorship of news from Tibet, and urges the diplomatic community to press for journalists’ access to the affected areas.

The International Press Institute (IPI) is devastated by the not guilty verdict reached today in the historic trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, who had been charged with masterminding the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The jury cleared Fenech of both charges of murder and criminal association in an eight-to-one decision in the first day after just eight hours of deliberations.