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The fine line between free speech, protest and terrorism
A look at the new collection of essays Countering Terrorism: Defending free speech
Latest news
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Journalists face persecution, intimidation and physical abuse in Somalia
Speaking out about societal issues such as poverty, hunger and police abuse is perilous and risks attention from authorities and terror groups
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CCP clamps down on Beijing subway protest songs
Young Chinese people are spontaneously breaking into song while commuting and it's all about signalling their resistance to CCP control
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The week in free expression: 16 – 22 August 2025
Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
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TikTok at the frontline of dissent in Nigeria
Nigerians are increasingly turning to social media to voice their concerns about societal issues
Banned Books Week UK returns from 5–11 October 2025. It’s a week to celebrate the books that have been challenged, removed or silenced, and to stand with the people who write, sell and share them
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Spotlight: Jimmy Lai trial
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Death by a thousand cuts in Hong Kong
It’s been five years since the National Security Law was passed: how much has freedom of expression deteriorated in China’s special administrative ...
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Jimmy Lai’s “co-conspirators” speak out after being named in Hong Kong trial
Bill Browder and Benedict Rogers are among those singled out in the Hong Kong-British businessman’s trial on charges under the national security law
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Argument for urgent intervention in Jimmy Lai case laid bare in new report
Pressure on UK government to intervene in Lai case highlighted in a new report, which exposes the destruction of media freedom in Hong Kong
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Postcard campaign provides comfort to Jimmy Lai in prison
US students are sending the imprisoned activist postcards in act of solidarity
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 54.02 SUMMER 2025
Land of the Free?: Trump's war on speech at home and abroad
Has the USA, the so-called Land of the Free, become a dangerous country for those who question its government?
Such a notion is, of course, in opposition to the country’s founding principles. Enshrined in the 1791 First Amendment to the US Constitution are citizens’ fundamental freedoms – including freedom of religion, speech, the press, protest and petition. Conveniently glossing over its dark history of colonisation and slavery (which would continue for nearly a century after the First Amendment was ratified), it signified the USA as a global bastion of democracy, equality and civilised values. Now, Trump appears to be metaphorically setting fire to the paper these principles are written on.
This is having profound impacts within the USA and around the world. Trump was inaugurated for his second term only six months ago, but already he has sought to deport people for their views on Israel and Palestine; threatened universities with eye-watering financial sanctions if they do not adhere to his ideological viewpoints; slashed the budgets of state-funded broadcasters; deployed the National Guard to police protests, a tactic used by military dictatorships; and dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), stopping the work of human rights groups globally.
In this edition, we explore these attacks on free speech at home and abroad.
Uncensored gallery
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