Lukashenko’s Belarus is a perfect example of the machismo and misogny at the heart of authoritarian regimes, says
Maryna Koktysh
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Religion in Belarus: no conscience, no freedom
In an authoritarian state, the regime uses loyal religious institutions to impose strict control over society and oppress freedom of conscience. Zmitser Yanenka reports from Belarus
Belarus: Pulling the plug
Europe’s last dictatorship plans even tighter controls over citizens’ access to the digital world, Index shows in a new report
Read the report in full here
Press Release: Internet explosion backfires for Europe’s last dictator
The practice of freedom
The fight for freedom begins with freedom of speech, says Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
What Russia censored in January
January saw a dramatic escalation of internet filtering in Russia. The League for Internet Safety, an organisation backed by the Kremlin, launched an experiment in the Kostroma region in central Russia in which 29 local internet service providers signed new contracts with users, giving them access only to a sanitised internet – in other words, websites included on a “white list”. Those wishing to surf beyond the confines of the white list are required to notify their provider explicitly. At the start of the experiment the white list included about 500,000 sites; by the end of the experiment, scheduled for April, it is expected to include up to 1 million. The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media has stated that it […]
Belarus media law offers no defence
Europe’s last dictatorship uses violence, repressive legislation and economic discrimination to silence independent journalists. Yanina Melnikava reports
Iran’s attacks on the BBC
Staff at the BBC’s Persian Service face satellite jamming as well as smear campaigns and intimidation, says World Service Director Peter Horrocks
Index on Censorship’s response to the Leveson report
The Leveson Report will become a benchmark for press regulation in modern democracies. Index has urged a serious, considered debate about Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations rather than their full adoption. The free speech organisation opposes the statutory underpinning of press regulation as proposed by Lord Justice Leveson.
Mexico City topples statue of a former Azerbaijani dictator
Until a couple of months ago, few in Mexico City knew who Heydar Aliyev was, and even fewer of those were aware that a marble and bronze statue erected in his honour sat smack in the middle of Reforma Avenue, one of Mexico’s most recognised streets. A plaque standing before the statue detailed the former president of Azerbaijan’s “loyalty to the universal ideals of world peace”. But the presence of the dead dictator sparked controversy in Mexico City. The conflict over how Mexico City accepted $5 million dollars from Azerbaijan to build the statue, as well as a park, has been brewing since November. The agreement to build the statue was reached by the leftist government of the Partido de la Revolucion […]
Index on Censorship response to Conservatives’ Royal Charter press proposal
Index on Censorship today responded to proposals put forward by the Conservative party to establish a press regulator via Royal Charter