Forbidden Stories

Forbidden Stories is a non-profit initiative established by the Freedom Voices Network. Our organization comprises a group of journalists dedicated to carrying on and sharing the stories of fellow journalists who are under threat, imprisoned, or have been murdered.

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No Safe Zones: How Fadi Al-Wahidi Got Shot in the Neck While Wearing a Press Vest

4 weeks ago | forbiddenstories.org | Sofia Alvarez

On October 9, 2024, Fadi Al-Wahidi was reporting alongside a crew of journalists from Al Jazeera, Al Araby TV, and others, in the Al Saftawi area near Jabalia, when what they claim was an “Israeli quadcopter” initiated a chase that ended with Al-Wahidi being shot in the neck. Forbidden Stories and its partners reconstructed the event that has paralyzed both of his legs.
From Slander to Exile: Photographer Yasser Qudih Targeted for Doing His Job

4 weeks ago | forbiddenstories.org | Cécile Andrzejewski

On October 7, 2023, Gazan photographer Yasser Qudih photographed Hamas’ attack on Israel, prompting a pro-Israeli NGO to suspect him of having been alerted by the Islamist group ahead of time. Shortly after, his house was bombed, killing eight members of his family and leaving him racked with guilt. Forbidden Stories and its partners revisited the subsequent smear campaign that drove Qudih into exile and unemployment.
Sanction Breakers : These Kyrgyz companies are keeping Russian planes flying

1 month ago | forbiddenstories.org | Cécile Andrzejewski

Thanks to companies based in Kyrgyzstan, Russia continues to import aeronautical equipment made by major French and American manufacturers, despite the embargo linked to the war in Ukraine. This circumvention of western sanctions has made Kyrgyzstan a hotspot for the transportation of goods destined for Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Corruption, nepotism and the “Wi-Fi system”: How Kyrgyzstan became a hub for smuggling cars into Russia

1 month ago | forbiddenstories.org | Eloïse Layan

Kyrgyzstan has become a hotspot for the smuggling of European cars into Russia. Despite Western sanctions, these luxury vehicles are increasingly on display in the windows of Moscow dealerships. They are part of a highly lucrative industry, investigated by now-imprisoned journalists and involving friends of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s nephew and a top Lithuanian athlete.
Nous avons poursuivi l’enquête de Khudayberdy Allashov sur le travail forcé dans les champs de coton au Turkménistan

2 months ago | forbiddenstories.org | Edouard Perrin

Journalist Khudayberdy Allashov died on August 13, 2024, aged 35, after nearly ten years of persecution by the Turkmen regime. In 2016, he dared to tell the story of forced labor in Turkmenistan’s cotton fields. Forbidden Stories has carried on his work and can reveal that this cotton, theoretically banned from the textile industry’s supply chains, continues to flood the shelves of European stores.
In Suwayda, Captagon barons survive the fall of Assad

2 months ago | forbiddenstories.org | Paloma de Dinechin

Suwayda, in southern Syria, is a hub for the trafficking of Captagon, a synthetic drug that has flooded the Middle East for a decade and was the economic mainstay of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. After his ousting, Assad’s successors promised an end to this illegal trade. But the reality on the ground is quite different. From local militias associated with the new government to smugglers and alleged accomplices, the end of Captagon seems an illusion.
Captagon trafficking: For Syrian journalists, investigation is still forbidden

2 months ago | forbiddenstories.org | Paloma de Dinechin

Syrian journalist Mahmoud al-Harbi was murdered after breaking the omertà on Captagon trafficking in the south of the country under Bashar al-Assad. Despite the fall of the regime two months ago, investigating this lucrative business remains extremely risky for Syrian journalists. Three of them have entrusted Forbidden Stories with their findings so their work can be continued.
In Turkmenistan, the death of a journalist lifts the veil on forced labor in cotton fields

2 months ago | forbiddenstories.org | Cécile Andrzejewski

Journalist Khudayberdy Allashov died last August, after a decade of persecution by the Turkmen authorities. They accused him of daring to write about systematic forced labor in the country’s cotton fields – an open secret that isn’t stopping some European textile brands from sourcing from Turkmenistan.
Nous avons poursuivi l’enquête de Khudayberdy Allashov sur le travail forcé dans les champs de coton au Turkménistan

2 months ago | forbiddenstories.org | Edouard Perrin

Journalist Khudayberdy Allashov died on August 13, 2024, aged 35, after nearly ten years of persecution by the Turkmen regime. In 2016, he dared to tell the story of forced labor in Turkmenistan’s cotton fields. Forbidden Stories has carried on his work and can reveal that this cotton, theoretically banned from the textile industry’s supply chains, continues to flood the shelves of European stores.
“The Azerbaijani government needed the COP to cover up the question of media freedom”

Nov 22, 2024 | forbiddenstories.org | Eloïse Layan

Impact News Three journalists from Abzas Media have been ill-treated in prison while COP29 is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan. Editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi; reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova; and three other colleagues have been in prison for nearly a year.