A campaign for a BNP teacher ban smacks of the thought police; people should not be punished for their private thoughts, however repugnant, argues Brendan O’Neill
BNP teacher ban a slippery slope
read more
Index on Censorship
Lester libel bill published
Response from the Libel Reform Campaign to Lord Lester of Herne Hill’s Private Member’s Defamation Bill
Turkish student convicted for Facebook cartoon
A Turkish student has received an 11-month suspended jail sentence after posting a cartoon of the local mayor on Facebook. Erdem Büyük, 22, of the northwestern city of Eskisehir, was arrested, interrogated after loading a cartoon of Yilmaz...
No Sex and the City for Abu Dhabi
Sex and the City 2 has been banned from the city in which the film is set, Abu Dhabi. A spokesperson for the National Media Council said on 19 May it had banned the film from the country because the “theme of the film does not fit with our cultural...
Koreans condemn Vienna Kim II Sung exhibit
A new exhibition in Vienna displaying North Korean poster art and architecture has been slammed by the Association of Austrian Koreans. The “Flowers for Kim II Sung” exhibition at the MAK museum, has been described as “idolising” and “embellishing...
Newcastle ruled the worst council for surveillance
Newcastle Upon Tyne local authority has been deemed the worst offender in Britain for covert surveillance operations, according to a study this week. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, local authorities have carried out over 8,500...
Zimbabwe: Two independent newspapers to be published
The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) is to authorize the publication of two newspapers independent of state control in Harare. The privately produced Daily News and Newsday, also publishers of the weekly Zimbabwe Independent and Standard newspapers,...
Sudan: Journalist charged with terrorism
A journalist working for a newspaper owned by the Islamist opposition politician, Hassan al-Turabi, has been charged with terrorism, espionage and destabilizing the constitutional system following his arrest on 15 May. Al-Turabi and a further three...
Zimbabwe: Gay activists arrested
Two employees of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, the country's only gay and lesbian advocacy group, have been arrested after police raided their offices. Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Muhambi were accused of possessing pornographic materials and...
Index on Censorship at the Hay Festival
Join Index on Censorship at the Hay Literary and Arts Festival from 27 May to 6 June Visit the Index stand in the main festival site for special Hay subscription rates, freebies and special guests. Index will have events on both weekends of the...
EU governments must support Eritrea’s prisoners of conscience
Eritrea has held Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak without charge for eight years. The west must stand up to this brutal regime, says his brother Esayas Isaak
Lord Triesman and the ethics of clandestine recording
As the Mail on Sunday continues to take criticism for reporting the taped conversations of the FA chief, Brian Cathcart asks if it’s ever right to secretly record private conversations