Prague Civil Society Centre

04/09/2026

Big congratulations to our colleagues from Factor TV! 🇦🇲 🥳

The Yerevan-based media outlet has just been named a recipient of the 2026 Free Media Award from the Fritt Ord Foundation in Norway and ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius in Germany for its independent, fact-based journalism which contributes to a more nuanced public debate in Armenia.

As the judges explained, Factor TV has distinguished itself through investigative and watchdog journalism, exposing corruption, conflicts of interest, breaches of integrity and abuses of power, and prompting criminal investigations and disciplinary proceedings. The outlet also reports extensively on human rights, violence against women, minority rights, and other sensitive or underreported issues.

“We don’t publish any entertainment content or sports. We cover human rights, corruption cases… it’s not very ‘sexy’ content,” Arevik Sahakyan, the Executive Director of Factor TV, told us a while ago. “And yet, we keep a big audience — I believe that’s because people simply appreciate the quality of our work,” she added when we visited their office in Yerevan.

Factor started out as an NGO in 2016 with a mission to launch the operation of an independent, impartial, and reliable media platform. Its goal was to provide quality information and serve as a space for civil society actors to debate, discuss, and promote democratic development in the country. The Prague Civil Society Centre first started supporting Factor in 2018 and helped finalise the transition into a media outlet.

🏆 Factor TV-ն արժանացել է Free Media Award 2026 միջազգային մրցանակին՝ անկախ և փաստահեն լրագրության, իշխանության հաշվետվողականությունն ու թափանցիկությունն ապահովելուն ուղղված աշխատանքի, կոռուպցիան բացահայտող հետաքննությունների, ինչպես նաև ապատեղեկատվության և քարոզչության դեմ հետևողական աշխատանքի համար։

🎤 Free Media Award-ը շնորհվում է նորվեգական Fritt Ord Foundation-ի և գերմանական ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius-ի կողմից՝ Արևելյան և Կենտրոնական Եվրոպայում անկախ լրագրության դերն ընդգծելու և ամրապնդելու նպատակով։

👏 Միջազգային ժյուրին առանձնահատուկ կարևորել է հանրային նշանակություն ունեցող խնդիրների լուսաբանման և մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպանությանն ուղղված Factor TV-ի հետևողական աշխատանքը։

❗ Այս մրցանակը մեզ համար առաջին հերթին մեր ամբողջ թիմի ամենօրյա աշխատանքի գնահատականն է։ Աշխատանքի, որի հիմքում շատ պարզ սկզբունքներ են՝ չշրջանցել դժվար հարցերը, չհարմարվել քաղաքական ճամբարներին, ստուգել փաստերը և հանրային շահը միշտ վեր դասել ամեն ինչից։

🎖️ Եվ, իհարկե, սա նաև մեր լսարանի մրցանակն է՝ այն մարդկանց, որոնք այս տարիների ընթացքում ընտրել են Factor TV-ն, վստահել մեզ, քննադատել, պահանջել ավելին և դրանով ստիպել մեզ ավելի լավը լինել։

🤗 Շնորհակալ ենք այդ վստահության համար։

03/09/2026

Missed the news over the summer? Here's your catch-up on some of this year's biggest stories from Ukrainian investigative media.

Suspiciously cheap real estate purchases, family members suddenly getting rich, and a popular app's hidden ties to Russia’s FSB – these are just a few recent examples of the investigations carried out by Ukrainian independent media.

Despite operating under constant security threats, Ukrainian reporters continue holding those in power to account. Their findings lead to concrete impact and anti-corruption authorities getting involved.

By keeping the public informed even under the most challenging wartime conditions, they are defending democracy. That's why supporting them matters now more than ever.

Swipe to explore some of the standout investigations from our partners BIHUS.Info, hromadske.ua, StateWatch, Слідство.Інфо, Телебачення Торонто, and Українська Правда 👇

31/08/2026

Open call 🇲🇩

Are you a content creator in Moldova trying to help your community spot and fight fake news? Do you want your followers to recognise manipulation when they encounter it?

Quest Hub is a 2-day interactive event in Czechia, bringing together changemakers to rethink how they create and connect with their audiences.

You can expect:
- Mentorship from visionary speakers
- Collaborative sessions and workshops with fellow Moldovan participants
- A guided hike and quest activities in nature, because fresh thinking doesn't only happen in a conference room!

📅 When: first week of October
📍 Where: Czechia
✈️ Covered: travel + accommodation
⏰ Application deadline: 15 September 2026, 23:59 CET

Apply via the link in the comments!

27/08/2026

Ohlédnutí za pátečním NeverMore68 na Výstaviště Praha 👀

Je za námi pátý ročník akce, která si klade za cíl kriticky připomínat okupaci Československa vojsky Varšavské smlouvy a potlačení Pražského jara. K této vzpomínkové akci jsme přidali perspektivu ze zemí, které dnes a denně čelí tlaku Ruska, porušování lidských práv a kde se právě teď bojuje o mír a občanské svobody.

Hlavní dramaturgická linka se letos zaměřila na exil a emigraci, v našem stánku jsme proto přinesli mj. autentický vzkaz od běloruské novinářky Tacjany Ašurkevič, která z londýnského exilu rozkrývá kauzy spojené třeba s porušováním sankcí v Rusku a Bělorusku a domů se vrátit nemůže. Jako i další příběhy novinářů, novinářek a aktivistů, kteří do exilu vycestovat už nestihli a za svou práci či postoje jsou ve vězení – v Gruzii, v Rusku, v Ázerbájdžánu. Na video stage pak byl ke zhlédnutí výjimečný snímek Hearing Them Out: Returned Children of Ukraine režisérky Teťjany Chodakivské, podpořený naším filmovým programem, který přináší svědectví ukrajinských dětí, jež strávily půl roku v ruských převýchovných táborech.

Děkujeme za pozvání a budeme se těšit na další ročníky.

24/08/2026

🇺🇦 Today, on Ukraine's Independence Day, we're proud to spotlight our partner Принцип надії / The Principle of Hope.

When human rights activist, journalist and soldier Maksym Butkevych was released from Russian captivity, it was a moment of joy for him and everyone who had long campaigned for his release.

However, recovery from the trauma of captivity can take a long time.

"Some consequences come up later. Not in the initial weeks, but within several months, sometimes longer," Butkevych explains. Freedom alone doesn't restore health, trust, or the ability to sleep without fear.

Together with fellow human rights defender Anna Pochtarenko, he co-founded Principle of Hope to support former POWs and civilian detainees.

The organisation supports their recovery journey and also provides advice for families, social workers, doctors, and journalists. The goal is to explain what people may experience after captivity, how to speak with them, how to help them, and also how not to retraumatise them.

Because as Butkevych reminds us: a country can rebuild its cities, but unhealed trauma is a wound an entire society carries.

🎥 Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel — link in comments.

18/08/2026

"We do not want anyone to get rich off military contracts during the war."

Since 2022, Alyona Nevmerzhytska has led our partner hromadske.ua - one of Ukraine's leading independent media outlets - not only through pressures of war but also domestic attempts to muzzle their work.

Her team has investigated high-profile corruption cases and tracked the abduction of Ukrainian children into Russia. Their reporting helped bring one child home.

In this interview, she talks about:
🔹 Why anti-corruption journalism matters - especially during wartime
🔹 How Hromadske fights disinformation with "prebunking"– preparing people before crises, not just correcting misinformation
🔹 Why Ukraine’s independent media needs international support to survive

Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel 🔗 link in comments.

13/08/2026

Už příští týden budeme na akci NeverMore 68 promítat film o ukrajinských dětech, které si prošly terorem ruských „převýchovných“ táborů.

Ruské únosy ukrajinských dětí jsou válečný zločin – právě kvůli tomu vydal Mezinárodní trestní soud (ICC) v roce 2023 zatykač na Vladimira Putina a jeho zmocněnkyni pro práva dětí Mariji Lvovovou-Bělovovou.

Sama Lvovová-Bělovová se veřejně chlubí, že má doma chlapce z Mariupolu – města, které ruská armáda na začátku celoplošné invaze takřka srovnala se zemí.

Snímek Hearing Them Out: Returned Children of Ukraine režisérky Teťjany Chodakivské přináší svědectví dětí, které strávily půl roku v ruských táborech.

„Někteří rodiče se báli, že pokud odmítnou, děti jim odeberou. Jiní si mysleli, že pět jídel denně bez ostřelování jejich dítěti prospěje. Někteří uvěřili, že „Rusko tu bude navždy“ a že tábor je „dar“ od nových úřadů. Téměř žádný rodič si nedokázal představit, že své dítě neuvidí šest měsíců a v mnoha případech už nikdy,“ řekla Chodakivská.

Film, který vznikl za podpory Prague Civil Society Centre, bude ke zhlédnutí v 15:00 ve Video Stage na Výstaviště Praha.

09/08/2026

⚫️21. srpen má v našich dějinách, bohužel, své pevné a trpké místo. I proto se posledních pět let ten den v Praze Na Výstavišti koná největší občanská připomínka okupace Československa vojsky Varšavské smlouvy – a my letos poprvé budeme její součástí.
📽️ Na video scéně můžete zhlédnout ojedinělý autorský dokumentární film Hearing Them Out: Returned Children of Ukraine režisérky Teťjany Chodakivské s hudbou elektronického hudebníka Bena Frosta, který vznikl s podporou našeho filmového programu.
Dramaturgickou linkou letošního ročníku je exil a emigrace. Na Bruselské cestě tak najdete také náš stánek s prezentací našich aktivit a příběhy novinářů, novinářek a aktivistů, kteří museli opustit svou vlast a působí dnes v exilu, ale i těch, kteří do exilu vycestovat již nestihli…

Kompletní program je dostupný na stránkách pořadatele, odkaz v linktree.

Těšíme se na setkání s vámi po boku organizací jako jsou | | | | | | | Kancelář demokratických sil Běloruska v České republice | .cz | |

06/08/2026

One year ago today, Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli was sentenced to two years in prison. Her punishment for slapping a police officer during anti-government protests is excessive and politically motivated.

Her real "offence" was standing up for press freedom and a free Georgia. Since her detention in January 2025, she undertook a 38-day hunger strike, endangering her health. While in prison, her eyesight also significantly deteriorated.

She's since been awarded the Sakharov Prize and the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, and she’s been named a World Press Freedom Hero – all while still incarcerated. Her appeal has been denied.

A year on, nothing about this verdict has become more just. We stand with Mzia and every journalist in Georgia paying the price for telling the truth.