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Rights in RussiaPodcast Then & Now #33 - Teresa Cherfas in conversation with Lana Estemirova18 July 2025by Teresa CherfasWelcome to the 33rd edition of our Russian-language podcast Then & Now with me, Teresa Cherfas
2025-08-0645 min
Unlock Into A Binge-Worthy Full Audiobook On A Rainy Day.Please Live by Lana EstemirovaPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/250279to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Please Live
Author: Lana Estemirova
Narrator: Lana Estemirova
Format: mp3
Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
Release date: 06-19-25
Ratings: 5.0 out of 5 stars, 1 rating
Genres: Military
Publisher's Summary:
'Please live' were the last words fifteen-year-old Lana said to her mother. Shortly afterwards Natalia Estemirova was kidnapped outside their apartment block in Grozny, Chechnya. On 15th July 2009, she was murdered for telling the truth. This is Lana's story of growing up in a war. Of the intense bond between a mother and daughter, desperate to be together even though it was...
2025-06-1912h 08
Trouble with the TruthExpert Tips: how to preserve safety and sanity when covering the US presidential electionsIn this final episode of Trouble with the Truth that concludes Season Two, we turn to the most inescapable topic of the summer - the upcoming US presidential elections. We will leave the details of the political drama to the pundits and instead focus on what we know best - journalists covering the elections. With president Trump’s divisive rhetoric and increasingly hostile attitude towards mainstream media, how can reporters best protect themselves when doing their job? How do they navigate their usual professional risks, such as police violence, online harassment and doxxing? Lana is discussing these and...
2024-07-2940 minTrouble with the TruthIn the shadow of the National Security Law: what remains of Hong Kong independent journalism?On the surface, Hong Kong remains a dazzling city and a successful financial hub with hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. However, local journalists and activists will tell you a very different story. In 2019-2020, Hong-Kong was swept up in a wave of protests in response to the draconian National Security Law introduced by China to end Hong Kong’s autonomy from the mainland. Despite the backlash, the bill became a reality. The wide list of provisions includes sending cases for trial in mainland China, holding trials behind closed doors and letting pro-Beijing legislators interpret the law - to...
2024-07-1126 minTrouble with the TruthPegasus strikes again: how Russian and Belarusian independent journalists became new targets of the hacking softwareOn 30 May, a new report produced by the digital rights organisation Access Now and Citizen Lab revealed the details of the latest Pegasus attack on Russian and Belarusian journalists and activists. Pegasus, a sophisticated spyware made by Israel’s NSO Group made headlines in 2021 when it was discovered to have been targeted at thousands of people from all over the globe, including human rights activists and media workers. What makes this spyware so dangerous is that it doesn’t require clicking on a link and some victims may never discover that they’ve been hacked. It can penetrate IOS and An...
2024-06-2832 minTrouble with the TruthTaken for Granted: The precarious state of media freedoms inside the EUOnline harassment, intimidation, lack of access, government monopolies on media - we’re used to seeing such offences in countries with poor media freedom records. But what if all this was happening right on our doorstep, here in Europe? In this episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana discusses the declining state of media freedoms in the EU with Oliver Money-Kyrle, the Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes at the International Press Institute. They talk about the gap between the values projected by European institutions and the reality faced by independent journalists - from media capture and unregulated AI to...
2024-06-1336 minTrouble with the TruthGeorgian ‘Foreign Agents’ Law- what’s next?On the 28th May, the Georgian parliament overturned the presidential veto of the highly contentious ‘Foreign Agents’ law that had sparked weeks-long mass protests across the country and was strongly condemned by the international community. Should it come into force, any non-profit or media that receives over 20% of funding from overseas sources will have to register as “organisations acting in the interest of a foreign power” and face strict scrutiny from auditors and enormous fines. In this episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana speaks with returning guest Mariam Nikuradze, a Georgia-based reporter and co-founder of OC media. Th...
2024-05-3134 minTrouble with the TruthRana Ayyub on Indian elections, the terrors of online harassment and why she refuses to be silentIn this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana secures an exclusive with Rana Ayyub, one of India’s most prominent journalists. In 2016 she published an investigative book titled the ‘Gujarat files’ looking into the 2002 Gujarat riots that took the lives of nearly 1000 people, mainly Muslims. In 2024, Rana reflects on how the current anti-Muslim propaganda pushed by the Indian PM Narendra Modi and his BJP party reminds her of that dark chapter of her country’s history. As a staunch critic of Modi’s government, Rana has faced a relentless online harassment and death threats while also being hit with q...
2024-05-1639 minTrouble with the Truth‘Black Snow’- a portrait of a Siberian journalist taking on corrupt coal industryBefore 2019, Natalia Zubkova was a homemaker and a mother of three from a coal-mining Siberian city of Kiselyovsk. But when extreme air pollution caused by open-pit coal mining covered white snowy cityscape with black soot, it was time to act. ‘Black Snow’, a documentary directed by Alina Simone and produced by Kirstine Baford, tracks Natalia’s journey as a citizen journalist, documenting environmental catastrophe in her city and trying to hold local politicians and coal-mining magnates to account. In this episode of Trouble with the Truth, the makers of ‘Black Snow’ Alina and Kirstine tell Lana what drew them t...
2024-05-0230 minTrouble with the TruthTehran Bureau: how to build a successful media in exile while staying safeIn this episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana speaks with the founder of the Tehran Bureau media Kelly Golnoush Niknejad. As a teenager, Golnush left Iran with her family following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and later became a journalist in the US. In 2008 she launched Tehran Bureau, at first as a blog and then as a website. Since then, this English-language media has been offering in-depth, nuanced takes on Iranian politics and society. Golnoush shares her experience of settling in the US and what it took to set up an independent media that was so different from what was...
2024-04-1828 minTrouble with the TruthJournalists vs. the President- how Kyrgyz authorities keep silencing their criticsIn 2022, Kyrgyzstan was ranked 72nd out of 180 countries on the press freedom index but in 2023, it plunged all the way to the 122nd spot, the sharpest decline of any country ever. Despite high levels of corruption and state-mandated human rights violation, Kyrgyzstan has always had a strong civil society and thriving independent media. However, since president Sadyr Japarov took over in 2020, the space for freedom of expression has rapidly shrunk. What happened? In this episode of Trouble with the Truth, exiled human rights activist and lawyer Leila Seiitbek talks about recent developments- the arrest o...
2024-03-2832 minTrouble with the TruthThe War against Ukrainian Journalists: two years onRussia’s illegal and brutal war against Ukraine has entered its third year. For two years, Ukrainian journalists have tirelessly covered the full-scale invasion while taking cover in bomb shelters and arranging the evacuation of their loved ones. Not only have they uncovered the horrific massacres of Bucha and Irpin and documented the siege of Mariupol but also held their own government to the account. In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana speaks to the editor-in-chief of Zaborona media and the co-founder of 2402 foundation Kateryna Serhatskova. How did Ukraninan journalists adapt to this new, dangerous environment? Wh...
2024-03-1437 minTrouble with the TruthThreats, curfews, exile, perseverance - how Ecuadorean journalists survive in the increasingly violent environmentIn Ecuador, 2024 set off to a dramatic start, as the whole country anxiously watched masked gunmen storm a local TV station and take journalists hostage on live broadcast. This was part of a series of coordinated attacks that spread across the country like wildfire, resulting in 30 car explosions and kidnapping of seven police officers - a grim reality of an ongoing war between the local drug gangs and law enforcement. How did this once peaceful, picturesque country descent into chaos in less than a decade and why have journalists become targets? Isabel Ponce, a founder of the p...
2024-02-2932 minTrouble with the TruthBig Tech, AI and Disinformation: a journalist’s perspectiveIn this episode of Trouble with the Truth, we pivot from our usual themes by delving into the murky world of disinformation campaigns amplified on social media platforms and the ways to combat it with a Coda Story senior reporter Isobel Cockerell. The rapid advancement of Big Tech over the past decade and the more recent AI revolution is irrevocably changing the way we live and think. It also creates a new reality in which line between truth and falsehood becomes blurred or altogether erased. With the wide spread of online disinformation and dangerous conspiracy theories, a j...
2024-02-1527 minTrouble with the TruthLetters to Evan: The campaign to release Evan GershkovichIn this episode, Lana talks to the Financial Times correspondent Polina Ivanova about the arrest of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges by Russian authorities, and the inspiring campaign for his release.It has been ten months since the arrest of US citizen Evan Gershkovich, whose parents emigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Evan is being held at the notorious Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre, isolated from his loved ones and awaiting a trial date. He has been charged with espionage, a ludicrous claim denied by Evan and everyone close to him...
2024-01-3133 minTrouble with the TruthWar against journalists in UkraineSince 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...
2022-04-1832 minTrouble with the TruthSLAPPs: What's next?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...
2022-03-0124 minTrouble with the TruthKazakhstan: Protests, Nazarbayev's property empire, Tokayev's and Putin's responsesFrom 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 c...
2022-01-2619 minTrouble with the TruthSame old?- Media freedom in Uzbekistan after president Mirziyoyev’s “thaw”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...
2021-10-2620 minTrouble with the TruthA race against time: the evacuation of Afghan journalists 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...
2021-10-1227 minTrouble with the TruthBeirut Blast one year on: one journalist’s story 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 reco...
2021-09-3045 minTrouble with the TruthNatalia Estemirova and Daphne Caruana Galizia: women who will never be silenced.This week’s episode focuses on two women who were guided by the relentless pursuit of truth and were punished for it in the most inhumane way. Natalia Estemirova was an activist and a journalist from Chechnya who investigated and documented human rights abuses in the region. Daphne Caruana Galizia exposed corruption in Malta, naming and shaming powerful individuals. Their children Lana Estemirova and Matthew Caruana Galizia talk about their mothers and the search for justice in the aftermath of their murders. They discuss the latest developments in their mothers’ cases, (including the recent decision of the ECHR regarding Nata...
2021-09-2128 minTrouble with the Truth“War is more profitable that peace”- the Sentry on violence and exploitation in Central African RepublicIn 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...
2021-09-0935 minTrouble with the TruthJake Hanrahan on Popular Front, his documentaries, and what makes a good journalistIn 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 conf...
2021-08-0332 minTrouble with the TruthKhadija Ismayilova’s decades long fight against corruption in Azerbaijan 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 h...
2021-07-2727 minTrouble with the TruthThe cycle of violence: the unsolved murder of Silvia Duzán and why it still matters todayIn 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...
2021-07-1925 minTrouble with the TruthFar-right mob violence against journalists at the Tbilisi PrideIn this episode of Trouble with the Truth journalist Mariam Nikuradze recalls the shocking attacks on journalists that took place in Tbilisi on 5 July. That day was supposed to be a celebration of Pride but the organizers were forced to cancel the event because of numerous threats. Despite, the cancellation far-right mobs still turned out in force and targeted anyone who looked LGBTQ. It was journalists that suffered the most: over fifty media workers were attacked, many ending up in hospital. In a tragic turn of events, cameraman Lexo Lashkarava, who sustained serious injuries was found dead several...
2021-07-1424 minTrouble with the TruthTrapped in Iran: Dairus Bazargan on the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeJournalist and filmmaker Dairus Bazargan talks to us about his upcoming documentary on Nazanin-Zaghari Ratcliffe and his undercover work investigating ritual killings in Malawi that almost cost him his life. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, has been held hostage by the Iranian government since 2016, following her arrest on trumped-up spying charges. Nazanin was released in 2021 only to be faced with an additional charge that will trap her in Iran for at least another year. Darius has been in close contact with Nazanin’s husband Richard Ratcliffe and daughter Gabriella, capturing the difficult journey of the family as the...
2021-07-0530 minTrouble with the TruthProtests in Belarus revisited & the kidnapping or Roman ProtasevichLast year’s protests in Belarus seemed like a watershed moment that was poised to bring an end to the 26-year rule of president Alexander Lukashenko. The peaceful demonstrations that started with songs, chants and red-and-white flags were soon met with state-sanctioned violence that saw thousands of people imprisoned and many more fleeing the country. There were widespread reports of beatings, torture and the inhumane treatment of prisoners – those on the outside faced intimidation and the prospect of losing their jobs. The latest news from Belarus that shocked the world was the dramatic abduction of journa...
2021-06-2730 minTrouble with the TruthThe Myanmar coup: how people united to resist the military juntaIt’s been over three months since the military coup in Myanmar that has resulted in violence and mass protests. Press freedom has suffered immensely, as the military junta shut down the internet, muzzled and attacked journalists. In this latest episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana speaks about the origins and the consequences of the coup with UK-based academic and human rights activist Maung Zarni. He is a co-founder Forces of Renewal Southeast Asia network, Burmese coordinator of the Free Rohingya Coalition and has been engaged in activism for over thirty years. Zarni gave a detailed and thought-provoking ac...
2021-05-0649 minTrouble with the TruthA tale of grit and courage: what it takes to be a journalist in SyriaWe have reached a grim milestone with the ten-year anniversary of the Syrian revolution that turned into a bloody war and tore the country apart. In the latest episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews a very special guest: Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim, who is currently based in London.It takes an unsurpassed kind of bravery to report on what was happening on the ground and Zaina was one of those journalists. She explains why she chose to leave her studies in London and go back to face the danger, and how she managed to keep...
2021-04-2226 minTrouble with the Truth“Between a rock and a hard place”- the challenges of being a journalist in SomaliaIn the latest episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews Somali journalist Abdalle Ahmed Mumin. Somalia has an appalling record when it comes to press freedom – more than 70 journalists have been killed since 1992, their murderers enjoying total impunity. Abdalle has received numerous threats because of his reporting and narrowly survived an assassination attempt in 2015. He was forced to hide his family and go into an exile. This made his subsequent return to Somalia particularly extraordinary - not only did he go back to reporting but he also helped to set up the Somali Journalists Syndicate. Abdalle spoke to me...
2021-04-0828 minTrouble with the TruthHow the rich and powerful drown journalists in lawsuits: the case of Clare Rewcastle-BrownIn this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews journalist Clare Rewcastle-Brown who helped to uncover the infamous 1MDB corruption scandal in 2015. The focus of their discussion wasn’t the investigation itself but the legal turmoil and harassment that followed it. Not only has she been banned from entering Malaysia but while living in the UK, the journalist was subjected to a defamation campaign, hacking, surveillance and intimidation. The harassment was orchestrated by reputable UK based law firms and PR agencies. Clare is also fighting multiple civil and criminal lawsuits, filed in the UK and Malaysia. They di...
2021-03-1827 minTrouble with the TruthThe mysterious murder of Pavel SheremetIn their latest investigation, Roman and his colleagues examined the suspects involved in the murder of Belarussian journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was working in Ukraine. Pavel was killed by a car bomb as he was leaving his home in 2016. It took three years for the Ukrainian police to come up with the murder suspects. The investigation has proved controversial, with critics calling it flawed as it failed to uncover the masterminds behind the hit. In the interview, Roman elaborates on the details of the investigation: how they went through the phone logs of the murder suspects and discovered new...
2021-03-0429 minTrouble with the TruthEnemy of the state: inside Turkey’s crackdown on independent journalismIn this new episode of Trouble with the Truth Lana interviews Evin Barış Altıntaş, a journalist and the founder of the Media and Law Studies Association. MLSA provides legal support to journalists, promotes press freedom and the rights of minority groups. The past few years have been disastrous for Turkish independent journalists. In 2016, using the failed coup attempt as a pretext, Tayyop’s Erdogan’s government imprisoned thousands of journalists, activists and academics. According to Barış, Turkish president has always viewed independent media as an enemy. Those who scrutinized his policies and his personal wealth paid...
2021-02-1838 minTrouble with the TruthThere were more: The Insider and Bellingcat link Alexei Navalny’s poisoners to three political assassinationsIn the new episode on Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews Roman Dobrokhotov from The Insider- an investigative media outlet that together with Bellingcat uncovered the names of the would-be murderers of the Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny. Journalist Timur Kuashev, activist Ruslan Magomedragimov and a politician Nikita Isaev (once close to Kremlin) all died suspiciously - there is now evidence that Navalny’s poisoners were involved in the string of assassinations. To find out the details of this investigation and the way it was carried out, to learn more about Kremlin’s fears and what drives fearless journalism in R...
2021-02-0434 minTrouble with the TruthSLAPPs, corruption and dirty money: how UK firms help silence investigative journalismIn the new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana talks to Susan Coughtrie, from Foreign Policy Centre. Susan is the editor of their latest report “Unsafe for Scrutiny…” that “explores the role that the United Kingdom plays as a hub for the facilitation of global financial crime and corruption, as well as for services that can be utilised against journalists reporting on this topic.” SLAPP legislation has become a powerful silencing tool used against independent journalists from all over the world. Despite some reform attempts, London remains the capital of “libel tourism”. Why is this damaging for the UK internation...
2021-01-2529 minTrouble with the TruthInside The Justice for Journalists foundationIn 2020’s final episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana reflects on the year that has passed and takes a closer look at the mission and work of the Justice for Journalists Foundation - the organisation that has helped bring this podcast to life. Maria Ordzhonikidze, the JFJ’s Director, talks about the origins of the foundation, the projects it sponsored over the course of this year, and how their Media Safety Academy is helping journalists from the post-Soviet space stay safe. Maria also reflects on the events that help feel hopeful during these uncertain times.
2020-12-2923 minTrouble with the TruthTackling disinformation in the times of the coronavirus pandemicIn this episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana chats to the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Coda Story Natalia Antelava. The news about vaccine was met with glee but also contributed to the spread of conspiracy theories and false information online. What impact has the continuous disinformation had on independent journalism before and during the pandemic? Why have some populist leaders thrived because of the coronavirus falsehoods? Against all of this, has the role of a journalist morphed into something more than simple reporting of the truth? Find out in the new episode.
2020-12-1721 minTrouble with the TruthIn Mexico, being a journalist is deadly business –Part 2 In this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova continues to explore Mexico’s appalling record on journalists’ safety. Special guests are freelance journalist and writer Paula Mónaco Felipe and Juan Sebastián Salamanca from Article 19. Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. More than 140 journalists have been killed there since 2000 and countless more have been intimidated, harassed, attacked and driven out of the country. In more than 99% of cases, the murderers have not been found and prosecuted. How does one decide to become a journalist in such a...
2020-12-0431 minTrouble with the TruthThis is bigger than one man: Rebecca Vincent on Julian Assange’s trial, how to combat disinformation and handle twitter trollsIn the new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana interviews Rebecca Vincent from Reporters without Borders. Rebecca has been monitoring the extradition trial of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. After spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy, the journalist has been arrested by the Met police in 2019 and if extradited to the US, he’s facing 175 years in prison. Rebecca talks about the importance of this case for freedom of the speech worldwide and why we must look beyond Assange’s controversial persona when talking about the trial. They also spoke about the pandemic of disinformation that w...
2020-11-1928 minTrouble with the TruthBreaking taboos - the danger of speaking out on women’s rights in the North CaucasusIn this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova investigates why writing about women’s rights in the North Caucuses leads to threats and intimidation of journalists and activists.“I’ve been given orders to handle the feminists,”- said man’s voice on the phone. It wasn’t the first time Dagestani journalist Svetlana Anokhina has been threatened. Daptar, the online portal where she works, dares to frankly discuss topics considered taboo in the North Caucasus: domestic violence, bride kidnappings, honour killing, feminism amongst others. It is not the only outlet that talks about women’s righ...
2020-11-0624 minTrouble with the TruthIn Mexico, being a journalist is deadly businessIn this new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews Andres Arturo Solis Àlvarez, a freelance journalist and teacher based in Mexico. Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. More than 140 journalists have been killed there since 2000 and countless more have been intimidated, harassed, attacked and driven out of the country. In more than 99% of cases, the murderers have not been found and prosecuted. How does one decide to become a journalist in such a risky environment? Can certain politicians be as dangerous as drug car...
2020-10-2232 minTrouble with the TruthKyrgyz Kloop media and the power of youth journalismLondon, 8th October- in the new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews Bektour Iskender, a journalist from Kyrgyzstan and one of the founders of Kloop media. Several days prior to Kyrgyzstan’s post-election protests that resulted in toppling of the government, Lana recorded an interview with Bektour Iskender, one of the founders of Kloop media. What started as a website run by a university dropout in 2006, turned into a successful online platform that carries out impressive investigative work and trains a generation of new journalists. Fittingly, they spoke about the impact of the r...
2020-10-0831 minTrouble with the TruthThe humiliation of Salman Tepsurkaev: Another level of depravity in the crackdown on Kadyrov's criticsOn the 7th of September, a shocking video started circulating across Chechen social media. In the video, a young man called Salman Tepsurkaev denounces his work for Adat telegram channel and is forced to rape himself with a bottle. Adat is one of the few outlets that writes about human rights abuses in Chechnya and corruption amongst the elites. In Chechen, Adat means an unwritten set of laws and rules, a fitting name for the outlet. These channels are being constantly hunted by the authorities. Salman is their first victim.For this podcast, Lana spoke to several...
2020-10-0116 minTrouble with the TruthAfter Daphne: Shift News continues the fight against corruption in MaltaLondon, 9th September- in the new episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews Caroline Muscat, the founder of The Shift News, based in Malta. It’s impossible to talk about independent media in Malta without mentioning Daphne Caruana Galizia- a courageous investigative journalist who was killed three years ago for exposing the corrupt underbelly of her country. Caroline talks about the public enquiry of her murder and how the journalist’s gruesome death pushed her to found her own media outlet- Shift News. Sponsored through public donations, Shift News takes on corrupt politicians and businessmen, while...
2020-09-0924 minTrouble with the TruthIvan Safronov’s treason charge - a warning to the Russian journalist community?London, 30th August- in our second episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews Anna Nemtsova, a Moscow-based journalist for the Daily Beast. They discuss the case of Ivan Safronov, a former journalist who was arrested and charged with treason in what appears to be a politically motivated move. A correspondent for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers and military reporter in the past, Ivan had been working for the Russian Space agency when he was arrested and charged. His friends and colleagues are convinced that his arrest is politically motivated. Ivan has published exclusive exposes on sensitive mi...
2020-08-3029 min
Trouble with the TruthProtests in BelarusLondon, 18 August 2020 – In the first episode of Trouble with the Truth, Lana Estemirova interviews Mariya Sadouskaya Komlach, Belarussian journalist and a media analyst based in Europe.The conversation is focused on the challenges of reporting in times of the revolution, how and why the protests started, what is happening with the President-elect Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and finally – what the international response to President Lukashenko’s war against his people should be.Since 9 August, Belarus witnessed the most remarkable protests in its history. Angered by the rigged presidential election, people took to the streets, calling for Alexander Lukash...
2020-08-2828 min
Talk Eastern EuropeEpisode 39: COVID clampdown in ChechnyaInformation coming out of Chechnya is hard to come by. It is controlled by the tight grip of the Republic’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov. This episode attempts to get insight into what the response to COVID-19 looks like in the Russian Republic of Chechnya. Adam interviews Lana Estemirova, a freelance journalist covering Chechnya. They talk about issues related to the heavy-handed response to the virus. They discuss media clampdowns, protests by medical professionals and the ongoing human rights situation there. We need only THREE MORE PATRONS to reach our goal of 25 by the end of June. Become a Pa...
2020-06-0137 min