The country needs a constitutionally recognised national commission to oversee media reform and ensure freedom of expression is properly defended, writes Rohan Jayasekera
CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
Free speech in India: Uptick in defamation, attacks on media cause for concern
The state of free speech in India remains a cause for concern judging by the rise in recorded attacks on the media and the increasing use of defamation suits — the most marked trends in 2014.
Malala Yousafzai accepts 2014 Nobel Peace Prize
Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai will accept the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize today in Oslo
Under cyber attack: an interview with Lobsang Sangay, Tibet’s exiled political leader
Tibet’s leader-in-exile discusses his Buddhist approach to digital security, and why he still holds hope for the future of the internet
Jaspreet Singh: Ghosts of 1984
The novelist shares his memories of the aftermath of the assassination of then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and its devastating impact on the country’s Sikh citizens
Stricter and subtler: how China has ramped up instant messaging censorship
The chat application LINE has strengthened its censorship methods in mainland China by targeting phrases and word combinations.
China: Chen Xiwo banned book published in English
Chen Xiwo, described as “one of China’s most outspoken voices on freedom of expression for writers” by Asia Sentinel, has spoken about how he challenged the Chinese government’s decision to censor his latest book ahead of its launch in English.
India: Frontline Freespeech Workshop, 24 Sept
Index on Censorship in association with the Digital Empowerment Foundation, India, invite you to a workshop to launch Frontline Freespeech, a pilot project seeking to amplify the voice of individuals under pressure.
India’s Modi bypasses mainstream media and takes to Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for using social media to address the public directly has apparently caused a rift with India’s mainstream press. Mahima Kaul reports
Malaysia: The newspaper that can’t print “Allah”
An appeal for Catholic newspaper The Herald to be allowed to print the word Allah in its Malaysian edition has been turned down. Tom Francis writes