Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
The week in free expression: 12–18 April 2025
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Mark Stimpson
Mark is associate editor at Index on Censorship
Hollywood: the Pentagon’s secret weapon
Roger Stahl speaks to Index about the Department of Defense’s continuing influence on Hollywood movies
Iran’s silenced musicians
As the list of those persecuted in the country grows, it is obvious that Iran’s leadership is systemically opposed to musical free expression
One year on from his death, Alexei Navalny’s legacy is still alive in Russia
Thousands of brave Russians continue to pay their respects to the late opposition leader and speak out against Putin’s regime
Who holds the pen on scrutinising the most powerful?
The influence wielded by newspapers has come into sharp focus in the past week
The enforced silence of Afghanistan’s women
Taliban-enacted “vice and virtue” laws have taken away both voices and human rights
Belarus: If you want freedom, take it
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the disputed election in Belarus that saw Alyaksandr Lukashenka take a sixth term as president
Report pinpoints role of likely Russian troll networks in European election disinformation
Thousands of social media accounts promoted pro-Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories
We must not forget what is happening inside Iran
The Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on domestic protest, particularly by women, says exiled film-maker
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
Life and death in Iran’s prisons
The human rights activist Narges Mohammadi faces yet more charges for her activism and her refusal to wear hijab
‘There simply is no moral high ground anymore’ – Stella Assange
WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is running out of options to avoid extradition, despite growing efforts from the Australian government to get the case dropped