FranceOwnership & classification
Founded: 2017
Ownership
Forbidden Stories is a Paris-based non-profit network founded in 2017 by French investigative journalist Laurent Richard, who serves as executive director. It is operated by the non-profit Freedom Voices Network and is not owned by any company, family or state. It coordinates investigations across some 150 reporters and 60+ news organisations (including Le Monde, The Guardian and The Washington Post) to continue the work of murdered or threatened journalists.
Funding
Funded by philanthropic grants and foundations rather than advertising or owners; reported backers include the Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, Luminate, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Adessium Foundation, the Mozilla Foundation and others. It has raised several million dollars since its creation.
Affiliation & stance
It has no party, state or commercial-owner control; as an independent journalist-led non-profit it is INDEPENDENT. Its work is investigative and press-freedom oriented, broadly centre-left in outlook but not tied to any political party.
Editorial lean
- Our estimate
- Lean Progressive
- Measured from coverage
- Progressivebased on 10
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Factual
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Objective
10
Articles
10
reports
Factual: How accurately its articles report the facts, judged against primary sources and the cross-outlet consensus. Only articles that cite their sources are counted.
Objective: How neutral the writing is — whether reporting keeps the writer’s own preferences and opinions out of the article.
Recent coverage
Moroccan intelligence is believed to have spied on Spanish agents who were training them
In 2021 and 2022, Moroccan intelligence allegedly used the Pegasus spyware to monitor Spanish officials including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and several ministers. The surveillance, reportedly ordered from the Royal Palace in Rabat by Royal Adviser Fouad El Himma, coincided with actions aimed at pressuring Spain regarding the Western Sahara dispute. A secret Spanish intelligence report linked these activities to the sudden opening of the Ceuta border in May 2021, which was seen as a tactic to manipulate migration flows. In response, Spain fired its foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, in 2022. Relations between Spain and Morocco improved when Sánchez aligned with King Mohamed VI on Western Sahara issues. However, tensions resurfaced in June 2022 when Moroccan security forces caused the 'Melilla massacre,' resulting in 37 deaths and numerous disappearances. This event prompted Spain to push for NATO to recognize migration as a hybrid threat. Additionally, Moroccan intelligence has been accused of leaking photos of Spanish officials without consent and recruiting individuals connected to Spain's police force.
Morocco Denied Using Pegasus. Documents and Insider Accounts Tell a Different Story
The article reports on the extensive surveillance practices of Morocco's domestic intelligence agency, DGST, particularly focusing on the use of Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists and dissidents. It cites a former DGST agent who describes how journalists like Omar Radi were tracked through various methods including phone tapping, physical surveillance, and the use of advanced spyware. The report includes previously undisclosed internal documents and testimonies revealing the scale of the surveillance campaign, including the seizure of Radi's phone during his arrest in 2020. The article highlights the DGST's systematic efforts to monitor individuals, including their personal networks and vehicles, and notes that Radi had taken precautions to avoid detection, prompting the agency to escalate its tactics.
How Morocco allegedly spied on an African ally
The article reports on allegations that Moroccan intelligence agencies targeted members of former Gabonese President Ali Bongo's inner circle with Pegasus spyware during a political succession crisis in 2019. Key figures named include Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Ali Bongo's son, and Brice Laccruche Alihanga, his chief of staff. The list also included phone numbers of two of Bongo's main 2016 election opponents, Jean Ping and Dieudonné Minlama Mintogo. The targeting occurred despite the close relationship between Morocco and Gabon, according to a source within Morocco’s DGST, which noted joint intelligence training between the two nations. The article is part of the Pegasus Project investigation, highlighting concerns over surveillance technologies used by governments.
Revealed: Unpublished UN Report Implicates Workers on TotalEnergies-led Project in Sexual Exploitation and Mozambique’s Military in Sexual Violence
A leaked UN report obtained by Forbidden Stories reveals serious allegations of sexual violence and exploitation in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado region, linked to both the Mozambican military and workers on TotalEnergies' LNG project. The report, which includes interviews with victims, describes how local women and girls have faced sexual abuse from multiple sources, including soldiers deployed to protect them and employees working on the $20 billion LNG project. One victim, Tomazina, recounted being coerced into a sexual relationship by a worker after applying for a job at the project site. The situation occurs amid ongoing conflict involving the Al-Shabaab insurgency, which has caused significant civilian casualties and displacement.
A Campaign of Disappearances: Inside the Killings, Abductions and Surveillance of Mozambique’s Government Critics
Since the 2024 elections in Mozambique, over 400 supporters of the Mondlane party have reportedly faced violence, including 55 deaths. The NGO DECIDE documented more than 4,000 detentions and over 3,000 injuries linked to a post-election crackdown. Complaints submitted by Mondlane to Mozambique’s Attorney General’s Office, examined by Forbidden Stories, allege extrajudicial killings, severe injuries, arbitrary arrests, and property damage against critics of the government. The report highlights the role of 'chefes de quarteirão', block leaders affiliated with the ruling party, who monitor communities and gather intelligence on political affiliations. These figures suggest a systematic effort to suppress dissent through surveillance and intimidation.
In Mozambique, the Regime Imposes a Blackout on Journalists
In Mozambique, particularly in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, local journalists face increasing threats and restrictions as the government appears to suppress media coverage of ongoing conflicts. Reports indicate that several journalists have been abducted, poisoned, or attacked, while authorities fail to conduct thorough investigations into these incidents. Human rights organizations like Amnesty International and NGOs such as DECIDE criticize the lack of transparency and accountability, noting that the government is actively limiting the ability of journalists to report on the situation. This has led to a self-censorship among media outlets, with many avoiding the region due to safety concerns and institutional resistance to cooperation.
“These rapes and videos are a way to silence us”
The article describes the experience of a 33-year-old Afghan woman who lived under the previous government before the Taliban regained control in August 2021. She previously worked with international organizations promoting community development and women's rights, and she participated in public radio programs. After the Taliban takeover, she faced severe restrictions, including mandatory dress codes, the requirement to be accompanied by a male guardian, and a ban on women working in her organization. She received threatening calls from suspected Taliban members and observed arrests of her friends, leading her to flee her area for safety in Kabul.
Radio silence: An investigation into the governor of Kabul
The article discusses the deteriorating situation for journalists under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, focusing on Jawadi, the editor-in-chief of Radio Nasim. After being arrested multiple times, he decided to stop broadcasting due to increasing repression against free speech. Since the Taliban took control in 2021, more than 75 journalists have been arrested, and hundreds have fled the country. Women make up 95% of those who have left journalism, according to the International Federation of Journalists. Despite the restrictions, exiled newsrooms in countries like France, the United States, and Canada continue to report on the Taliban regime through networks of anonymous correspondents.