On 18 April, Index award-winner Idrak Abbasov was brutally attacked while he reported on the demolition of houses. Rebecca Vincent visited him at his home outside Baku
Azerbaijan: A visit with Idrak Abbasov
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CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
UK: Anonymous downs Virgin Media site over Pirate Bay censorship
Notorious hacking group Anonymous targeted Virgin Media yesterday, to protest the blocking of file-sharing website The Pirate Bay. The attack forced the internet service provider to take its website offline for one hour. Around the time of the...
Watershed year for investigative journalism and free debate
Speculation around Lord Justice Leveson’s expected report this autumn has overshadowed the vital libel reform identified in the Queen’s speech, says Kirsty Hughes
Protests, mass arrests and clashes with police mark Vladimir Putin’s inauguration
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Russia: Activist fined for spreading “gay propaganda”
Russian gay rights activist Nikolai Alekseyev has been fined 5,000 roubles (104 GBP) under a St. Petersburg law for spreading "gay propaganda" among minors. The fine was imposed after the court ruled that Alekseyev had spread propaganda about...
United Kingdom: Government to consult with ISPs on blocking online porn
The coalition government has announced plans to consult with internet service providers on new measures to block online adult material in the UK. Under the plans it would be up to customers to opt in if they wish to view pornography on the internet...
Queen’s Speech set to tackle free expression
Is London set to lose its label as global capital for libel tourism, asks Index’s Kirsty Hughes
Telco caught colluding with dictators
Nordic Telecom giant TeliaSonera forced to act after evidence that its data has been abused to target, harass and jail activists in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Belarus
Television presenter tells President Medvedev he often faces censorship
One of Russia's best known television news presenters Alexey Pivovarov revealed the extent of state media censorship during President Dmitry Medvedv's final interview before he hands power to Vladimir Putin. During the wide-ranging interview with...
Montenegro: Journalist jailed for libel
A Montenegro court has jailed a journalist for four months for libel. Journalist Petar Komnenic was convicted in February 2011 over a 2007 report in Montenegrin weekly news magazine Monitor, which alleged that the state had illegally placed several...