Press freedom organisations and local Bahraini groups have raised alarm today over the suspension of Bahrain’s only independent newspaper, Al Wasat, which has been barred from publishing for three days now.
Index on Censorship joined with international human rights organisations to strongly condemn the arbitrary suspension of Bahrain’s Al Wasat newspaper.
Index on Censorship and 22 other NGOs have written to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili calling on his government to respect its international obligations and, in particular, to conduct a full investigation into Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli’s abduction in Tbilisi on 29 May.
New laws to limit and surveil speech on and offline are not the way to tackle extremism. Our response must not be to curtail those very freedoms.
The exiled Azerbaijani journalist disappeared from Georgia and reappeared in Azerbaijan, where he is now facing persecution
On Wednesday 24 May 2017, Egypt banned at least 21 websites, including Al Jazeera television, The Huffington Post and Mada Masr
On 16 May the Venezuelan government issued Executive Order 2489 to extend the “state of emergency” in Venezuela, in place since May 2016
Rachael Jolley is the editor of Index on Censorship. Censorship is when somebody takes away your freedom of speech. For example, the Chinese government censor anybody who says bad things about the government. Read the full article.
Russian journalist Dmitri Popkov was killed in his backyard in the late evening of 24 May after being shot five times by an unidentified perpetrator
Index on Censorship condemns the attack by Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte on the Guardian’s reporter Ben Jacobs
Index Awards 2017: Celebrating defenders of free expression
Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views.
Index’s aim is to raise awareness about threats to free expression and the value of free speech as the first step to tackling censorship.
Index relies entirely on the support of donors and readers to do our work.
We work in four ways:
Index on Censorship publishes an award-winning quarterly magazine that has featured some of the world’s best-known writers. We publish original creative writing and articles about free expression from across the globe.
Our website offers additional information to help people understand the current threats to free expression globally. And we reach a wider audience through social media.
Each year, Index on Censorship identifies some of the greatest threats to free speech around the world and develops advocacy campaigns to push for change in legislation or public attitudes. We choose topics where our work can make a significant impact – and deliberately choose areas where others might not be focused. You can see our current areas of focus on our Campaigns and Projects work.
We use a mixture of research, reporting, direct advocacy and media campaigning to achieve our goals.
Index on Censorship believes that free expression encourages more open and tolerant societies. We actively promote debate with an exciting series of events each year to help people better understand the value of free speech. This includes performances, exhibitions, talks and concerts. We are also regularly quoted in international media on free expression issues. Read more about our current events programme here.
Index on Censorship directly supports groups and individuals facing censorship through our Freedom of Expression Awards Fellowship. The fellowship offers a year-long programme of tailored support to a small group of fellows selected for their outstanding work in the fields of journalism, arts, campaigning and digital advocacy. Read more about this innovative work here.