The real stories shouldn't be kept secret
Free access to information means that everyone — no matter where they are — has the freedom to make up their own mind. That's why we offer a range of tools and means of distribution to help people in areas with limited freedom of the press access news and information.
It's sometimes easy to forget that there are many places where people who publish dissenting thought are punished and the free flow of information is blocked. DW has made fighting censorship a core principle and works consistently to provide people everywhere with the information they need to understand problems and issues affecting their societies. Recognizing those that stand up for the right to speak up
Since 2015, the DW Freedom of Speech Award has recognized media figures or initiatives for their commitment to promoting free speech. Promoting democratic values, human rights and the dialogue between different cultures has been at the core of DW for more than six decades.
In many countries, government control of infrastructure can lead to information being censored or cut off altogether. That's why DW has always worked to provide solutions to circumvent censorship and provide information to the people. For example, people in countries whose governments block or restrict access to independent news can access DW content securely and anonymously with the Tor Project. Websites accessible through Tor (The Onion Routing) can be recognized by the extension '.onion.' A special browser such as the Firefox-based Tor browser is necessary in order to gain access to the websites.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Middle East updates: UK, Jordan working on Gaza airdrop plan – DW – 07/26/2025
The United Kingdom and Jordan are coordinating on a plan to airdrop aid into Gaza, according to British PM Keir Starmer. Meanwhile, dozens more Palestinians have reportedly been killed by Israeli fire. DW has United Kingdom is working with Middle Eastern allies including Jordan on plans to airdrop aid into the Gaza Strip and evacuate children in need of medical care, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said on Saturday. "The prime minister set out how the UK will be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance," read a statement after Starmer held a three-way phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. During the conversation, the three leaders agreed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "appalling" and that it would be "vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace," according to the Downing Street readout. "They discussed their intention to work closely together on a plan ... which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region," it continued. "They agreed that once this plan was worked up, they would seek to bring in other key partners, including in the region, to advance it." In Berlin, Chancellor Merz's office spoke of "large agreement" on the call – despite Germany so far refusing to criticize Israel to the extent that the UK and France have done, with the latter even set to officially recognize Palestinian statehood later this year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "We will be coordinating very closely in the coming days to take the next steps," said Merz. The phone call came a day after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip, calling it a "moral crisis that challenges the global conscience." For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by neighboring Jordan. An official in Amman said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. But the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned on social media that airdrops are "expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians" and won't reverse the increasing starvation or prevent aid diversion. "A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will," he said, demanding: "Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Some 40 people died while trying to access humanitarian aid, including 16 who were shot by Israeli forces, in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local Palestinian authorities and medics. Doctors at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said that 16 people were killed and another 300 injured near the northern Zikim border crossing waiting for trucks carrying aid. One witness told the AFP news agency that Israeli troops opened fire "while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point." The Israeli military told AFP that its troops fired "warning shots to distance the crowd" after identifying an unspecified "immediate threat." Elsewhere, Gaza's Hamas-run civil defense agency said nine people were killed in three separate Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, eleven in four separate strikes near the southern city of Khan Yunis and two in a drone strike in Nuseirat refugee camp. The Palestinian militant group Hamas expressed surprise on Saturday at suggestions from US President Donald Trump that the group "didn't really want" a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza. Trump made the allegation on Friday after Israel and the United States walked out of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar that had lasted nearly three weeks. "Trump's remarks are particularly surprising, especially as they come at a time when progress had been made on some of the negotiation files," said a spokesman for the Islamist group which launched the deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the current conflict. "So far, we have not been informed of any issues regarding the files under discussion in the indirect ceasefire negotiations", he added. Though not part of the Hamas negotiating team, Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Rishq insisted the group had shown "flexibility" in the talks, but Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not "acting in good faith." Hello and welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Gaza, Israel and the wider Middle East on Saturday, July 26. In a three-way conversation with his French and German counterparts, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was working with regional partners such as Jordan on a plan to airdrop aid into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, medics and Hamas officials said that dozens more Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire, some while waiting for humanitarian aid.
DW
4 hours ago
- DW
Bulgaria's arrest of liberal, pro-EU mayor sparks protests – DW – 07/26/2025
Thousands of Bulgarians have been protesting what they say is undue political influence on local justice. Many believe the EU is turning a blind eye to corruption in the Balkan country for political reasons. "My main motivation to be here in this square is my desire for justice," Berkay says. The young man was taking part in a protest held last week in Bulgaria's coastal city of Varna, against the arrest of the local mayor. "My conscience and my sense of civic duty wouldn't allow me just to stand here with my arms folded, in the face of the obvious trend towards authoritarianism in our country," he told DW. Along with other protesters, Berkay didn't want to give his full name. The protests started after the July 8 arrest of Varna's mayor Blagomir Kotsev, a member of the reformist We Continue the Change, or PP, political party. He was arrested during a raid by Bulgaria's Commission for Anti-Corruption. Kotsev was accused of running a criminal group that extorted companies that received public contracts. Two municipal council members from Kotsev's own party and a businessman from Varna were named as his accomplices in the alleged scheme. The mayor's arrest also sparked demonstrations in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, as well as in other places, and has become a symbol for the general public's growing concern about how their current government is using the public prosecutor's office as a weapon. "Such measures represent a serious interference with democracy and undermine the credibility of the judiciary," another demonstrator, Konstantin, says when DW meets him outside Varna's city hall. "This is not an isolated incident, it's part of a larger problem in the Bulgarian justice system," he argues. The fact that Bulgaria has some serious problems with its justice system is well known. In the latest report on the state of law in the country the European Commission — the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the European Union — notes that there have been barely any improvements. In fact, the EU report was issued on the same day as Varna's mayor was arrested. "Bulgarian democracy is in danger and all those who care about it must abandon their political party affiliations and oppose attempts to impose autocracy and authoritarianism in the country," Bulgarian political scientist Daniel Smilov, also a specialist in comparative constitutional law, writes. "These terms may sound vague and exaggerated but unfortunately they accurately describe what is happening: Key institutions have been hijacked and power and violence have been used to advance the interests of particular political interests." For a long time, Varna's political scene was dominated by the conservative, right-wing party, GERB, short for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria. It is also the party of the country's current prime minister Rosen Zhelyazko, as well as long-time Bulgarian leader Boyko Borissov, who previously served three terms as prime minister. Borissov and his allies were regularly accused of corruption and there had already been major protests about this in 2020. Borissov is seen to be close to media tycoon and oligarch Delyan Peevski, who's also the leader of a political party, New Beginning. The protesters believe that even though Peevski is currently officially in opposition, he wields too much power in Bulgarian politics. In fact, Varna's mayor Kotsev first became known on the political scene during those 2020 protests before he won in municipal elections in 2023. The main accusations against Kotsev rely almost exclusively on statements by a Bulgarian businesswoman, Plamenka Dimitrova, the owner of a catering business that has often been contracted to state and public functions. Dimitrova is allegedly close to the GERB party and during Borissov's time in office, her company was awarded contracts worth millions. However the new leadership in Varna decided to work with another service provider, one which would do the job for less money. Dimitrova claims she was asked to hand over 15% of the value of the contract if she wished to keep it. Another witness in the case against Kotsev is the city's former deputy mayor, Dian Ivanov. At first Ivanov seemed to confirm Dimitrova's story but then later he withdrew his comments and said they had been "untruths" made "under pressure" from the anti-corruption commission. Despite this, Ivanov was not questioned again and his later-withdrawn statements led to the July 18 court decision to arrest Kotsev and the others. According to Kotsev's party, PP, and their political allies in Democratic Bulgaria, or DB, another pro-European party, the case against Kotsev is part of a wider campaign against opposition parties like his, that is being led by the country's prosecutor general Borislav Sarafov. He is not independent, they claim, and he serves to protect the conservative movements' political interests. At the end of last month, another PP member, the deputy mayor of Sofia Nikola Barbutov, was also arrested on very similar charges: corruption and membership of an organized crime group. Up until now, there's been very little reaction from the European Commission regarding what's happening in Bulgaria. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is a member of the conservative German party, the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, and the CDU is a member of the same European parliament alliance as Bulgaria's GERB. Many of the demonstrators in Bulgaria argue that is why von der Leyen is staying quiet about what they see as GERB's wrongdoing. "Ursula, do you still support GERB?" is a slogan seen on many of the placards at the demonstrations in Bulgaria. "I hope the EU stops unreservedly giving money to these villains," says Philip, a protester in Sofia. "Boyko's regime is nothing without the money from Europe. Peevski's regime is nothing without the money from Europe." Back in Varna, local demonstrator Berkay predicts a long fight ahead. "I believe we must finally fight these evil models and those who embody them," he said. "One day, when we become parents, we don't want to be ashamed of the situation we're leaving to our children."
DW
5 hours ago
- DW
How a Russian mother is helping prisoners in Ukraine – DW – 07/26/2025
When Irina Krynina's partner went missing while fighting in Ukraine, she searched tirelessly until she found him in captivity. Now, she helps others facing the same uncertainty over their loved ones. Irina Krynina departed from Russia in September 2023, leaving behind her apartment in Krasnoyarsk, her car, and her job as an accountant. She packed her bags, took her two daughters, aged seven and ten, and set off for Ukraine to visit her partner Yevgeny Kovtkov in Ukraine. Kovtkov, who is not the biological father of her children, had been fighting for Russia against the Ukrainian army when he was captured. She booked a flight to Turkey, flew from there to Moldova, and then journeyed on to Kyiv. She received logistical support from a helpline operated by Ukraine's defense intelligence service HUR. Named "I Want to Live" (Khochu zhit), the helpline was originally set up for Russian soldiers opting to surrender. Krynina used the service to locate her partner, and travel to Ukraine to find him. She was the first in this war to attempt such a thing. In an interview with DW, she said she had known very little about Ukraine until 2022, but had been against the annexation of Crimea back in 2014. But it was only in 2023, when her partner was sent to the Donetsk region to fight and was soon after taken prisoner that she started reading up about the war. "When I realized what was really happening, I didn't want to stay in Russia anymore," Krynina said. "I was completely disappointed by the Russian state ... I don't want my family and children to be held responsible for the horror that is happening. That's why I went to Ukraine to help." Upon arrival, Krynina faced disappointment. Her partner was not happy about her visit. In an online video published by a Ukrainian YouTuber, the man quietly asks: "Ira, why?" He comes across as tense and confused. While Krynina wants to stay in Ukraine for the time being, Kovtkov is waiting for a prisoner exchange to return to Russia. Today, they are no longer a pair. "I didn't recognize Yevgeny," she said. "He has changed a lot, he is cold, withdrawn and anxious. War and imprisonment change people a lot." In Ukraine, Krynina founded the project "Our Way Out," which enables relatives of Russian prisoners of war to contact them. The initiative was joined by the well-known Russian journalist Viktoria Ivleva, who has been campaigning for Ukraine since 2014 and moved to Kyiv in March 2022. Krynina visits prisoners in camps, records conversations with them, delivers parcels and enables them to make phone calls. The video conversations also serve as proof to prisoners' relatives that they are in captivity, she says, adding that it is difficult to be recognized as a prisoner of war in Russia. Many captured soldiers are often written off as missing, dead, or deserters. Others are still listed as active soldiers, although they cannot be contacted. Krynina says that even Russian conscription offices are now secretly recommending that relatives of prisoners of war contact the project. Its YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and features hundreds of interviews with prisoners who talk about their former lives, why they signed up with the Russian army, and how they were captured. It also features conversations with relatives of Russians who were sent back to the fight in Ukraine after being returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange. Krynina advises those affected to contact journalists and lawyers. "If a prisoner of war does not fight for his rights, does not demand anything, then the state simply sends him back to war," she explains. Despite the risk of former prisoners being sent to fight on Ukrainian soil once again, Krynina wants to continue helping Russian prisoners of war return home. "Every returned Russian also means a returned Ukrainian," she says. "The exchange must continue." When Krynina first arrived, Petro Yatsenko from the Ukrainian military's Coordination Headquarter for the Treatment of Prisoners of War told the news platform Detector Media that she also played a role in "helping Ukraine in the information war against Russia." Krynina says she aims to show "Russians what is really going on." To do this, she travels to the sites of Russian attacks and records videos. She believes that her approach works: "Many of those who are close to someone on the front, I'd say 99%, want all this to stop. Everyone is tired of this war, and no one understands why it is still going on." Krynina is convinced that her videos are one of the reasons why her project was placed on Russia's "foreign agents" blacklist in July 2025. When asked by DW whether she feels guilty for the crimes that Russians have committed in this war, she said: "I can't understand why they're shooting. It's very hard for me to bear." Many Russians condemn Krynina's move to Ukraine, but Ukrainians also have mixed feelings about her. In spring 2025, a post by a customer of a Kyiv fitness club went viral on Facebook. She met Krynina while exercising and was outraged that a Russian citizen was allowed to move freely in Ukraine. Some comments urged the fitness club to deny Krynina access, while others pointed out that she was in the country legally. Krynina says that at first, she feared she would be condemned for speaking Russian, but adds that this not been the case so far. These days, she rents an apartment in Kyiv and her daughters attend a Ukrainian school. She is supported by her ex-husband and works as an accountant on the side. Her work for Our Way Out is voluntary. She tells DW that she hopes to return to a "free Russia" one day, but adds that relations between Russians and Ukrainians will never be the same again. "Russia has brought a lot of suffering and hardship to the Ukrainian people. I think the Russians will feel guilty, but they won't be able to make amends. I don't know if the Ukrainians will be able to forgive the Russians for what they have done. It will be generations before we can even think about peace," she says.
