19/10/2026
What does it take to rebuild a journalistic career when you have been forced to leave your own home, your country and everything familiar behind?
Last Wednesday, as part of Hamburg’s Press Freedom Week, ECPMF hosted “Beyond Borders: Challenging Narratives, Rebuilding Journalistic Careers” with two journalists in exile in Germany: Leyla Mustafayeva from Azerbaijan and Olga Bubich from Belarus.
Through a powerful reading and an open conversation, they shared the realities that journalists from their countries face, such as persecution, imprisonment, exile, and the challenges of starting over in a new country, navigating a different language and media landscape, and working without established networks while facing stereotypes and transnational repression.
The evening began with two personal readings: an excerpt from Olga’s upcoming book, dedicated to the subjects of memory, languages and identity, and the defiant court statement of imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Ulviyya Ali, read by Leyla.
Their stories showed once again that press freedom is about people, their lives, their safety and their right to do their jobs in providing objective information. And while exile brings enormous challenges, journalists continue their work across borders, sustained by resilience and solidarity.
When asked what journalists in exile need most, Leyla and Olga answered with three words: security, empathy and respect. These are essential to rebuilding lives and continuing journalistic work.
Our sincere thanks to the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. for hosting us, and to Leyla and Olga for sharing their experiences and insights with us 💫
The panel was part of Hamburg Press Freedom Week, an initiative of Koerber Stiftung and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS, supported by more than 50 partners.
