Since the beginning of the Russian invasion on 24 February, Ukraine has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. There is evidence that the Russian army has been deliberately targeting journalists who are telling the truth about the war. At least eight media workers have been killed so far, countless more kidnapped, harassed and turned into refugees overnight. Nonetheless, the bravery and determination of Ukrainian reporters has no bounds and for this episode of Trouble with the Truth Lana spoke to four of them. You will hear from an independent journalist Olga Tokariuk, Roman Stepanovich- the founder of Zaborona Media, Vera Chernysh- CEO and co-founder of Creator Media Group and Sergei Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.What is happening to Ukrainian journalists in the territories occupied by Russian troops? What stories do they tell once they manage to escape? How do journalists manage to carry on their professional duty, while trying to survive and evacuate their loved ones? What can be done to preserve a free media and protect journalists in Ukraine? Find out in thia new episode of Trouble with the Truth.These interviews were recorded prior to the release of the images of the Bucha massacre Donation links:https://2402.org/ -to protect Ukrainian media workers https://fundrazr.com/cmg-campaign?ref=ab_7SarseQ4euF7SarseQ4euF - to support Ukrainian media

SLAPPs or Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation are lawsuits that are designed not to win in court but rather to silence, intimidate and bankrupt the defendants. Over the past years, this type of vexatious litigation has become a tool to stifle independent journalists all over the world, especially those who write about the rich and powerful. London had a reputation for being a “libel capital” for a while and the Defamation Act of 2013 did very little to change it. This new episode of Trouble with the Truth unpacks the term SLAPPs and takes a look at how defamation suits are being used to gag free media. Our guest Rebecca Vincent from Reporters without Borders talks about the case of the Guardian journalists Carole Cadwalladr who is being sued for libel by British businessman Aaron Banks. All over twenty-three words that she said at her 2019 Ted Talk. Scott Stedman, the founder of Forensic News, explains why he is being sued in the English Court by a British-Israeli citizen Walter Soriano, although the journalist never stepped foot on the British soil. Finally, Susan Coughtrie from the Foreign Policy Centre outlines the steps taken to tackle the problem of SLAPPs in the UK.

From early January of this year Kazakhstan was rocked by a wave of protests.   They started in Zhanaozen over fuel price hikes but soon spread all over the country. The initial demands –economic reforms and regime change –were overshadowed by looting and violence. It’s been reported that 225 people lost their lives in the bloodshed, although the real number might be higher.   This new episode of Trouble with the Truth explores what happened in Kazakhstan during the protests. We take a look at the vast property empire of the Nazaebayev’s family and its links to the crisis.   Journalist Madina Alimkhanova talks about her experience reporting from the street in Almaty during the protests and the attacks she faced. Regional expert Erica Marat discusses the underlying causes of the unrest, the potential power struggle between the former and the current presidents and the dangers of inviting foreign troops to handle a domestic crisis. Journalist and activist Lukhpan Akhmedyarov, who was imprisoned during the protests, talks about the role of agent provocateurs and how the latest crisis in Kazakhstan might benefit president Putin. 

In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana talks with a journalist from Uzbekistan about the state of media freedom in the country. The 25 year old dictatorship of Islam Karimov was accompanied by human rights abuses and silencing of independent voices. When president Shavkat Mirziyoyev took power in 2016, it appeared that Uzbekistan was to take a new direction rooted in reform and liberalization. Many dissidents and journalists were released from imprisonment and independent media outlets were allowed to function freely. However, journalists still must think twice before writing about the president’s family and other tabooed topics. The new regime may not use prison and torture to intimidate journalists but other tactics, such as troll campaigns, defamations and legal threats, can be equally damaging for media workers. It is very telling that the speaker requested we alter her voice, skip video and omit any personal details.

  In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews journalist and writer Sonya Winterberg about the challenging evacuation of Afghan journalists after the Taliban takeover.  Sonya learned of the Taliban entering Kabul while she was a recording an interview for a radio show. Her first thoughts were about friends and colleagues left behind and since the middle of August, she has dedicated herself to helping Afghan journalists to flee and settle somewhere safe. Unfortunately, many were left behind and their future remain uncertain.   Lana and Sonya spoke about the exhausting process of getting the journalists out of danger, whether Taliban 2.0. is any different from their predecessors and what the international community can do for Afghan people. 

 In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews Lebanese journalist Mohamed Kleit. They discuss the horrors that unfolded on the day of the explosion and the political and economic turnmoil that followed. Mohamed shares his own personal journey  and the struggles he faced in the aftermath of the blast.  On 4 August 2020, an enormous amount of ammonia nitrate that was stored in Beirut port exploded, resulting in over 200 deaths, 7000 injuries and leaving over 300 000 people homeless. The explosion set of economic shockwaves that reverberated long after the blast, coupling with the global pandemic to make the recovery incredibly challenging. One year on, victims and families are still seeking justice to no avail. The Lebanese government has failed to authorise a proper investigation with some politicians actively sabotaging the search for justice.  Mohamed opens-up about the PTSD that he still suffers from the day. He speaks about the difficulties of holding Lebanon’s corrupt government to account over the explosion, the economic hardships that people are facing and the difficult choices he had to make in order to tell the truth. He is currently working as a freelance video-journalists as well as being a media coordinator for the Alternative Syndicate of Press Assembly. 

In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana speaks to a senior investigator from the Sentry about the Central African Republic- one of the most dangerous countries in the world. They discuss a recent Sentry report that exposes the links between a major French sugar refinery and local militias implicated in massacres and human rights violations. They also touch on the infamous Wagner group – a secretive Russian military contractor that’s linked to Putin ally Evgeny Prigozhin. The Wagner group has been accused of committing shocking crimes against civilians in CAR although officially, the military company is not registered anywhere. This episode doesn’t reveal the face of the speaker in order to protect their identity. 

In the latest episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana meets Jake Hanrahan, the founder of Popular Front. He vowed to produce a different kind of conflict reporting – raw, independent, accessible, and sponsored solely through public donations. Popular Front has released documentaries, podcasts and articles on conflicts all over the world- Palestine, Ukraine, Hong-Kong, Turkey, Northern Ireland and many more.  In this episode, Jake talks about his latest docs on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 3-D printed guns and the man behind them and what makes Popular Front so special. He alsshares some advice he would give to an aspiring conflict reporter.

 She was threatened, harassed, attacked and sent to prison for 2.5 years but it only made Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova more determined to pursue the truth. For years she’s been exposing the corrupt underbelly of the Azerbaijani elite, linking it to international firms and European politicians. Her work, including the Panama Papers investigations, has gained her notoriety all over the world but also attracted powerful enemies.  In the latest episode of Trouble with the Truth, Khadija talks about the trials of an independent journalist in Azerbaijan, on her investigations into the Azarbaijani ‘Laundramat’, on what kept her spirits high when she was in prison and her criticism of ECHR mechanisms. 

In 1990 Columbia was shocked by the horrific murder of popular investigative journalist Silvia Duzan. She was working on a hopeful story about how several peasant leaders banned together against the violence of cartel rule but ended up being assassinated alongside her interviewees.  Thirty years later, filmmaker Paola Desiderio is exploring the tragic event and the story around it in her upcoming documentary “The Law of Silence”. It is a sad yet inspiring story about the perseverance of human spirit in the hardest of circumstance and a decades-long search for justice. Paula tells us why the documentary is still relevant, whether Columbia is any safer for journalists today than thirty years ago and what can be done to break the cycle of violence.