Leah Borromeo says the 2012 games in London could damage free expression in the United Kingdom
Olympic ideal puts money before democracy
read more
Index on Censorship
Murong Xuecun: Caging a Monster 把怪物关进笼子里
Outspoken Chinese writer, Murong Xuecun delivered an astonishing speech in Oslo this week. Delivered during Chinese literature week, an extract of the translated speech by Jane Weizhen Pan and Martin Merz is posted below. Xuecun begins: I am a...
Sergei Magnitsky death highlights Russian impunity
After speaking out against corruption, the young lawyer was left to die in jail. Two years on, says Jamison Firestone, no one has been brought to justice
Scotland: football hate law confused and unnecessary
Government attempts to clamp down on sectarian abuse and violence are a recipe for uncertainty and censorship, says
David Paton
Bollywood censors ban Tibet flag
The long arm of Chinese soft power has reached Bollywood. Indian censors have ordered the makers of Rockstar to cut or blur scenes showing images of the Tibetan national flag, which features in one of the film’s song and dance numbers. The movie...
The phone hacking inquiry must shackle corporate power, not journalists
As James Murdoch takes MPs’ questions again, John Kampfner says it’s important to remember where the real problem with phone hacking lies
Who is Hu Xijin? Behind the scenes at “China’s Fox News”
One of the most curious newspapers to come out of China in recent years is the English-language edition of the Global Times. Owned by the People’s Daily group, it is one of only two national papers published in English in mainland China, alongside...
PAST EVENT: English PEN presents: Night of the Imprisoned Writer
15 November: English PEN presents “Night of the Imprisoned Writer”
PAST EVENT: 9 November: Libel Reform Campaign rally at House of Commons
9 November: Libel Reform Campaign rally at House of Commons
O-pen Magazine forced to shut by the Chinese goverment
O-pen Magazine was set up in March 2011 by Annie Baby, a popular novelist who got her start on the internet. On 1 November she announced on her Sina microblog that O-pen had been forced to stop publishing. In China, magazines need a national...
France, Charlie Hebdo and the meaning of Mohammed
The office of French satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo was firebombed as a result of its decision to publish a front cover satirising Mohammed. Here, Sara Yasin and Myriam Francois-Cerrah discuss the background and motivations behind the attack, and ask why some Muslims feel entitled to answer offence with violence
Russia: Critic beats rocker in criminal case
Russian music journalist Artemy Troitsky has faced several defamation cases this year for his outspoken criticism of rock stars, politicians and policemen.
Elena Vlasenko reports