YouTube has been blocked in Pakistan since September 2012 for hosting the “blasphemous” Innocence of Muslims film. But now the country’s parliament has been asked to define what actually constitutes blasphemy. Sana Saleem has some suggestions
As talk in India turns to media plurality and regulation, attention is turning to murky ownership structures and monopolistic practices. Mahima Kaul reports
Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, held a debate launching the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, with a special report on The Multipolar Challenges to Freedom of Expression
Index on Censorship report: Burma is at a crossroads. The period of transition since 2010 has opened up the space for freedom of expression to an extent unpredicted by even the most optimistic in the country.
Without increased pressure from the US and UK, the apparatus of Burma’s military dictatorship will continue to exist, says Mike Harris
A Pakistani human rights organisation has called for an investigation into allegations that Facebook has a special “arrangement” with Pakistan, allowing the country’s government to interfere in content removal. Sara Yasin reports
Fifty years of authoritarian rule has left its mark on Burmese society affecting the speed and process of transition.
It will be argued in this chapter that the media in Burma is freer now than at any point in the last decade, yet significant challenges remain and there are troubling signs on the horizon. The abolition of the pre-censorship of the printed press,...
“In the past political art was very easy – ‘this government is bullshit’ – but now due to the transition period and role of Aung San Suu Kyi in government it’s more complex, people are wary of making sweeping statements.”[21] The abolition of...
Real improvements have been made that strengthen digital freedom of expression in Burma from ending the blocking of Skype calls, to restrictions on internet cafe use being lifted and a reduction in SIM costs which will open up access to the...