The arrest of the editor of the Rappler raises concerns for press freedom in the Philippines.
This week at Index: Philippines must end judicial harassment of Maria Ressa
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Index on Censorship
Index at CIJ Well Told
CIJ Well Told is the UK’s only longform and narrative festival, and takes place on 1 and 2 March at Goldsmiths college, London.
Thirty years on: the Salman Rushdie fatwa revisited
Thirty years after a fatwa was issued ordering Muslims to execute author Salman Rushdie over the publication of The Satanic Verses, Index publishes a collection of writing on the implications for free expression and censorship
YouTube Deletes Dozens More Drill Music Videos at Request of London Police (Spin, 13 February 2019)
YouTube continues to delete music videos by drill artists in London at the request of a police unit that claims the videos incite violence, the Press Association reports. Read the full article.
‘Persecution by a bully government’: Journalists, advocates slam arrest of Maria Ressa (Rappler, 13 February 2019)
Journalists and sectoral groups slammed the Duterte government for the arrest of Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa over cyber libel charges on Wednesday night, February 13. Read the full article.
I don’t want to hide, says Rushdie, 30 years after fatwa (Straits Times, 13 February 2019)
After decades spent in the shadow of a death sentence pronounced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Salman Rushdie is quietly defiant. Read the full article.
UK must call for release of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa
Index on Censorship condemns the arrest of journalist and Rappler chief executive Maria Ressa by Philippines authorities and calls on the UK to make good on its promises to defend media freedom globally by calling for her release.
Freedom of expression and the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act
Britain’s new counter-terrorism bill, which passed into law on Tuesday, threatens freedom of expression, Index warns
Council of Europe annual report: Media freedom in Europe
Press freedom is more fragile now than at any time since the end of the Cold War. That is the conclusion of a report by the 12 partner organisations of the Council of Europe platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists.
Student reading list: The Iranian Revolution
Forty years ago the rule of the last shah of Iran came to an end after millions of Iranians, from all social classes, took to the streets in protest
Since when was it a police job to impose sanctions on drill musicians? (Guardian, 9 February 2019)
The authorities ban musicians from playing without official approval. The police prevent them from performing a song deemed unacceptable. The courts threaten to imprison them when they do play it. All this not in Russia or Iran but in Britain. Read...
This week at Index: An intolerable intrusion of artistic freedom
More than 130 musicians, writers and artists, together with many British and Ugandan members of parliament, have signed a petition calling on Uganda to drop plans for regulations that include vetting songs, videos and film scripts prior to their release.