With the arrival of the EU special representative for human rights in Azerbaijan, the country has a unique opportunity to adhere to the international commitments it has signed by releasing detained and imprisoned journalists and human rights defenders
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
#IndexAwards2015: Journalism nominee Ekho Moskvy
One of few media outlets that is critical of Vladimir Putin’s regime, the radio station is revered by many as the last bastion of free speech in the country
Padraig Reidy: We can’t allow responsibilities to come before rights
The fact that people are being murdered for who they are rather than what they did should make us realise that there is no responsibility we can exercise that will mitigate the core problem
#IndexAwards2015: Journalism nominee Lirio Abbate
Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards 2015 journalism nominee Lirio Abbate is an investigative journalist working for the weekly news magazine L’Espresso.
#IndexAwards2015: Journalism nominee Safa Al Ahmad
Safa Al Ahmad is a Saudi journalist and documentary maker who has spent the last three years covertly filming an unreported mass uprising in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Jodie Ginsberg: The right to free speech means nothing without the right to offend
If the murders in Paris and now Copenhagen frighten us into silence they will have achieved their goal. That is why it is so vital that we continue to talk, and to listen
Jacob Mchangama: A dangerous evolution of the assassin’s veto
To earn a death sentence for offending Islam, it is no longer necessary to actually make “offensive” expressions or caricatures. Participating in a public debate on free speech and Islam will suffice.
Index on Censorship statement on blasphemy debate attack in Copenhagen
The use of violence on a gathering exploring the intersection of religious and artistic freedom should send shivers down our spines.
Jamie Bartlett: The coming online privacy revolution
In his new ebook, tech expert Jamie Bartlett describes what he sees as the long-term ‘Snowden effect’: the explosion of new ways to keep online secrets and protect privacy, and the challenges that presents for state security services.
Padraig Reidy: Kicking anti-Semitism off social media won’t solve the problem
If the story fades, the bigots can rebuild, this time on their terms, high on resentment and low on truth