BBC reveals 300 staff working in exile as press freedom is eroded around the world

Journalists face crackdowns in countries including Russia, Afghanistan and Ethiopia

The BBC has revealed more than 300 World Service journalists – around 15 per cent of its workforce – are working in exile.

Recent crackdowns on press freedom in Russia, Afghanistan and Ethiopia have pushed more BBC teams to relocate for their own safety, many leaving family and friends behind.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, BBC News Russian journalists and their families were moved out of Moscow to the Latvian capital of Riga, 570 miles away. Over two years later, 39 BBC staff remain there.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage next to his lawyers after a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended pre-trial detention, at the first court of appeal in Moscow last month. A Moscow court rejected an appeal by jailed Gershkovich against the extension of his pre-trial detention until 30 June.

On April 12, BBC Russian correspondent Ilya Barabanov was labelled as a "foreign agent" by the Russian justice ministry.

Mr Barabanov has written extensively about Russia’s war in Ukraine. The "foreign agent" label has been used by the government to marginalise journalists and critics of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mr Barabanov and the BBC reject the decision, which they are disputing in court.

He said: “The most difficult part about exile is the lack of direct contact with people. We lost the opportunity to talk to our contributors. The inability to travel around Russia, report from the field, talk to real people – that’s the hardest part about being a journalist in exile.

BBC reveals 300 staff working in exile as press freedom is eroded around the world

“In early April, the Russian authorities designated me a ‘foreign agent’. This affected my status and ability to talk to people.”

Other journalists have also faced persecution in Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a US citizen arrested on espionage charges, has been behind bars in Moscow for over a year.

Last month, BBC World Service filed an appeal to the United Nations over abuse of national security and counter-terrorism laws against its Persian journalists.

Liliane Landor, director of BBC World Service, speaking ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Friday, said: “Press freedom is under increasingly intense pressure at a time when millions, voting in elections around the world, need to be well-informed of the choices ahead of them.

“Our journalists face ongoing harassment and persecution from countries such as Iran and Russia to name, but two. World Press Freedom Day is a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation underscoring the urgent need for journalists everywhere to be able to do their job unhindered.”