World Refugee Day draws attention to journalists who have been forced to flee their home countries due to threats, conflict, or repression. While exile is now recognized as a growing
reality for journalists worldwide
, the experiences of journalists CPJ supported last year reflect the reality that relocation does not necessarily bring safety. Increasingly, journalists in exile reach out to CPJ for support because they remain at risk, as their home governments continue to target them across borders.
Forced to flee
Journalists are being pushed into exile for a range of reasons, including conflict, widescale repression, targeted threats, or legal pressure. CPJ’s 2025 assistance data shows that forced displacement remained a dominant pattern, with journalists from countries such as Myanmar, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan among those most frequently seeking relocation support.
For many journalists, exile results from an urgent decision made under immediate threat. CPJ reporting shows that journalists often
leave their countries within hours
, facing risks such as arrest, violence, or retaliation linked directly to their reporting. The process of fleeing can itself be dangerous and is heavily restricted by available visa pathways. Journalists frequently travel through multiple countries and many spend
extended periods of time
in transit locations without stable legal status or the ability to continue working.
These conditions often leave journalists in
precarious situations
from the moment they leave, shaping the risks they continue to face in exile. And even for those reaching safer destinations, important risks continue to exist.
Exile does not mean safety
Distance from a hostile government does not fully eliminate the possibility of retaliation, and CPJ often assists journalists who become targets of transnational repression. Certain governments hostile to journalists reach across borders to silence them through various m
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