Image by Arzu Geybullayeva, created for Global Voices using Canva Pro.

While there is no comprehensive data on the number of journalists and newsrooms currently operating in exile, the Thomson Reuters Foundation notes that “thousands of journalists worldwide are forced to work from exile due to political repression and restrictions in their home countries.” From Russia and Turkey to Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Mexico, Belarus, and beyond, stories of entire newsrooms and independent reporters being driven into exile have echoed across international media. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ's) 2023 annual report, “Exile support has grown by 227 percent since 2020 — as major crises from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to Russia’s war in Ukraine — have forced journalists into exile to stay safe.” Azerbaijan is among the countries where independent journalism faces increasing hostility. In recent years, as the Azerbaijani government has tightened its control over domestic media, a growing wave of journalists has been forced to continue their work from abroad.

Finding refuge outside their homeland, these exiled Azerbaijani journalists persist in their mission despite facing surveillance, digital attacks, and threats to their families back home. Operating under constant pressure, they remain determined to report on corruption, human rights abuses, and democratic decline in Azerbaijan. As the state escalates its crackdown on dissent, these voices in exile have become not only a vital source of uncensored information — but also a symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of shrinking press freedom.

On this World Press Freedom Day, Global Voices spoke with some of these journalists and exiled media outlets from Azerbaijan, reflect on the challenges, hopes, and hard choices that define their work beyond borders.

When Azerbaijani journalist Leyla Mustafayeva left her country in 2014 during the first wave of crackdowns on civil society, she thought she was choosing safety. Together with her husband, fellow journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, she moved to Georgia to continue their professional work in safety. But that hope was short-lived. In 2017, Mukhtarli was abducted in broad daylight in Tbilisi and forcibly taken across the border to Azerbaijan, where he was arrested and later sentenced to six years in prison on dubious smuggling and illegal border crossing charges.

“We moved to Georgia to remain free and continue our journalism from abroad,” Mustafayeva recalled in an interview over Signal. “But it turned out that the hands of authoritarian regimes can still reach exiled journalists.”

The experience of exile is not only about physical distance — it’s about starting from zero.

Regardless of your age, when you emigrate, you have to begin everything from scratch. That includes your living situation and your integration into a new society. The biggest challenge begins when you try to continue your profession — direct contact with sources and interviewees is cut off. We rely only on phones and the internet. Visual content like videos and photos is out of reach. Working online with journalists inside Azerbaijan has always slowed down the pace of our work.

This sentiment is echoed across a growing network of Azerbaijani journalists and independent newsrooms now operating from exile. Matthew Kasper, director of Meydan TV, an outlet that relocated abroad several years ago, described the core tension:

There’s a disconnect between the inside and the outside of the country. You try to stay relevant and gather information, but at the same time, you’re trying to settle into a completely new life. It’s hard to get a foothold in a new country when your heart and mind are still focused on where you came from.

For Toplum TV, one of the newest outlets forced into exile, the past year has brought wave after wave of arrests. In March 2024, journalists and affiliated partners were targeted, and the newsroom was forced to decide between shutting down or restarting with fewer resources from abroad.

“We chose to operate from exile,” said a representative of Toplum TV, who remains anonymous for security reasons, in an interview with Global Voices. “But it took time. For months, we couldn’t publish anything. Eventually, we managed to restore operations, but our main function — connecting with people directly, telling their stories — has become nearly impossible. We’ve become online journalists sitting behind screens. We’d rather conduct interviews in person, attend press briefings, or question officials. But we can’t.”

For many, the emotional and logistical toll is immense. “Adjustment to life in exile is not easy. For newcomers, it’s even harder — new language, new society, no local connections. Financially, it’s also a struggle. Living costs and salaries in Europe are much higher,” added Toplum TV.

And then there’s the lingering question: will change ever come?

“I believe the situation in Azerbaijan will change someday,” said the Toplum TV representative. “But when? If it’s in 50 or 60 years, it won’t matter to me — I won’t be around. I want to see it happen now. But realistically, I don’t expect fundamental change within the next four or five years.”

Kasper adds that, for donors, supporting exiled media is a long-term commitment. “They need to understand they’ll have to put in more and get less. That means covering higher salaries, supporting language classes, and investing in professional development. If we stay in survival mode, we stagnate.”

Still, he remains cautiously optimistic: “This won’t last forever. Regimes sometimes fall sooner than we think. For change to happen, trusted information must exist. We’re the basis for that change. Without it, transformation is unlikely.”

Journalist Aytan Farhadova, who now works for OC Media, calls her departure from Azerbaijan “a necessity, not a choice.” In 2019, fearing for her safety, she left after realizing she could no longer even read an investigation she worked on out loud. “I told myself, ‘This is it.’ I had a son. I was clearly suffering from some neurological  condition. I had to think about my child.”

Even in exile, Farhadova never stopped reporting. She juggled freelance journalism while working in a call center. Over the years, she published investigations with Abzas Media, Meydan TV, JamNews, and others — covering war, corruption, and the pandemic among other topics.

Her plans to return ended definitively in November 2023, when the entire Abzas Media newsroom was targeted in a wave of arrests. “As long as President Ilham Aliyev remains in power, I don’t see a way back,” said Farhadova in an interview with Global Voices.

But exile has its own barriers. “The biggest challenge is being unknown in the country you relocate to. Without knowing the local language, finding a job as a journalist is nearly impossible. Even Azerbaijani community outlets won’t accept you — even if your journalism is better.”

Farhadova now works for a regional news outlet OC Media where she continues to cover news from Azerbaijan. And although she lives in a country other than her own, she keeps writing thanks to the technology. “Technology makes this work possible — WhatsApp, Signal, and social media. Emails aren’t secure. But we find ways.”

Farhadova sees exiled journalism as part of a broader trend. “The world is becoming more authoritarian. More journalists will be forced into exile. But if we’re still doing journalism, it means we still believe in what we do. We stand by our ethics. We haven’t lost faith in journalism. That’s why we continue.”

Exile strips journalists of proximity, familiarity, and often stability — but not purpose. For the Azerbaijani reporters continuing their work from abroad, the daily realities of displacement, insecurity, and diminishing support systems are offset by an unshaken belief in the role of journalism. Their work is not just about documenting abuses or exposing corruption — it’s an act of defiance against silencing, and a commitment to public truth. As press freedom continues to erode in authoritarian regimes around the world, these journalists remind us that even from afar, independent reporting can hold power to account. This World Press Freedom Day, their voices serve as a call to support those who have lost their homes but not their mission — to ensure that the lights of accountability and truth remain lit, even beyond borders.