THOUSANDS of journalists have fled their home countries in recent years to escape political repression, save their lives and avoid armed conflict, but in exile they are often vulnerable to physical, digital and legal threats, the United Nations general assembly has heard.

Delivering a report in New York on Wednesday, investigator Irene Khan said that the number of exiled journalists has increased as the space for independent and critical media has been “shrinking in democratic countries where authoritarian trends are gaining ground.”

But Ms Khan, a Bangladeshi lawyer who previously served as secretary-general of Amnesty International, said that exiled journalists often find themselves facing threats from their home countries without assured legal status or adequate support to continue working in their country of refuge.