The Hindu fundamentalists’ falsehood is malicious, not Wendy Doniger’s interpretation. Saurav Datta writes
“The Hindus” are anything but “law-abiding citizens”
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CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
Pakistan: Group declares laws against child marriage are “un-Islamic”
The move has been slammed by a coalition of over a hundred Islamabad-based civili society organisations, who have labelled it a violation of Pakistani women’s and girls’ fundamental human rights. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Cricket cheering uncovers faultlines between Kashmir and India
Improbable as it may seem, but 67 Kashmiri university students were briefly charged with sedition for cheering for Pakistan, and celebrating its win over India, during an Asia Cup cricket match in early March. Mahima Kaul reports
Index Freedom of Expression Awards: Journalism nominee Callum Macrae/Channel 4 News
Callum Macrae, in collaboration with Channel 4 News, has made three films uncovering the truth about Sri Lanka’s human rights abuses in the final months of its decades-long civil war in 2009.
India: Turning back the clock on freedom of expression
In India, the state and private petitioners have equally exploited India’s penal code to harass, censor or silence individuals. Ram Mashru reports
Penguin India’s pulping of controversial title roils authors
Indian authors and columnists have condemned Penguin India’s decision to pulp all remaining copies of American author Wendy Doniger’s controversial book. Mahima Kaul reports
Index Freedom of Expression Awards: Advocacy nominee Shahzad Ahmad
Shahzad Ahmad is one of the leading voices in the fight against online censorship in Pakistan. The country faces a deteriorating state of cyber freedom, as the government uses draconian censorship laws and increasing surveillance to police the internet.
Index Freedom of Expression Awards: Advocacy nominee Generation Wave
Generation Wave has been at the forefront of promoting democratic engagement in Burma, using hip hop, graffiti, film and street art to challenge authoritarianism since 2007 – with a strict policy of non-violence.
China: The unsettling and bizarre spectacle of televised confessions
Suspects being made to “confess” to crimes live on air, is making even the most influential scared to speak out, writes Alastair Sloan
Burma: The art of transition
The Art of Transition Symposium in Yangon was a significant event in the unfolding drive towards democracy in Burma, providing a public platform to discuss how changing political and social conditions are affecting artistic freedoms.