for free expression

Anti-terror book blocked - A book by Britain’s former top counter-terrorism officer has been blocked from the shelves following an... More →
Glasgow lifts ban on Life of Brian - Councillors in Glasgow have lifted an unofficial 30-year-old ban on the Monty Python film The Life of Brian.... More →
Six journalists beaten in Nigeria - Six journalists were harassed and beaten preventing them from reporting on the demolition of several... More →
New government in Honduras is censoring media - Following the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya on 28 June in Honduras, the new authorities have imposed a... More →
China's Green Dam will go ahead say officials - China's controversial plan to install Green Dam internet filtering software on all computers will go ahead... More →

News and Comment

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“So many people genuinely believe in the freedom of the press”

Suzanne Breen describes her battle to protect her sources from police in Northern Ireland

Another victim of an archaic law

Darryn Walker has suffered unemployment and vilification for writing a pornographic story. The censorious obscenity law that allows this to happen must be scrapped, say John Ozimek and Julian Petley

News and Comment: Latest

Azerbaijan: new law will leave NGOs in limbo

An oppressive new set of rules on the free expression of civil society groups will put Azerbaijan on a par with its totalitarian neighbours, says Vugar Gojayev

Girls Aloud obscenity case dropped

The Crown Prosecution Service has dropped its case against Darryn Walker, the civil servant who was facing trial under the Obscene Publications Act for writing a violent pornographic fantasy story about pop group Girls Aloud.

Anna Politkovskaya: retrial must hear new evidence

The family of the slain journalist has called for the retrial of those accused of involvement in her murder to include a comprehensive new investigation. Maria Eismont reports

Azerbaijan: Reading about God is dangerous

Azerbaijan has a new, harsher religion law and new penalties for producing, selling, circulating, importing and exporting religious literature without state permission, reports Felix Corley of Forum 18

Venezuela: Chávez’s war on independent media

Steps taken by the government to remove Globovisión’s free-to-air licence poses a fresh threat to the country’s independent media. Daniel Duquenal reports

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Blog

The price of protection

Henry McDonald on Ian Paisley Jr's attempt to shield his sources

More from the blog

Henry McDonald on Ian Paisley Jr's attempt to shield his sources

Giulio D’eramo on reactions to Italy's proposed phone tapping law

Padraig Reidy on Channel 4 hitting the panic button in the wake of singer's death

Rohan Jayasekera says rights advocates can learn from the single-minded political and military approach

John Kampfner says the secrecy of the Iraq inquiry is part of a continuing project to protect "brand Blair"

Journalists victims of the Tehran government's crackdown

John Kampfner on two new books that put expenses, parliament and democracy into perspective

Exclusive photographs of the week's events in Tehran

Young Iranians command of the Internet has made this a very different kind of movement

Henry McDonald says Northern Ireland's journalists and politicians should welcome today's decision in favour of the Sunday Tribune journalist.

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The Big Chill

How libel laws are freezing free expression

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Floyd Abrams: English libel law through US eyes

Miklos Haraszti: religious defamation's new crusaders

Alastair Brett: Arcane libel legislation rules online

Wang Dan and Xinran: the legacy of Tiananmen

Liu Hongbin: Out of exile

Naomi Gryn: Has the BBC lost its nerve?

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