Former News International Chief executive Rebekah Brooks has been charged with perverting the course of justice, as part of the. Brooks has been charged along with several others, including her husband Charlie, and four former members of News...
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Azerbaijan: Index writer arrested ahead of Eurovision
Index on Censorship writer and youth activist Turgut Gambar was among activists arrested yesterday (14 May) during a demonstration in Baku, Azerbaian. Police violently dispersed peaceful protests ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest which will take...

Russian punk collective Pussy Riot speaks exclusively to Index
A Moscow court has confirmed that three women accused of being members of Pussy Riot can be held in prison until trial. Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Semutsevich had appealed against an earlier decision to keep them in...

Azerbaijan: A visit with Idrak Abbasov
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
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
Following an inauguration ceremony on Monday, Vladimir Putin is once again Russia's president. After an absence of four years, Putin won a third term as president in controversial elections in March. But as former President Dmitry Medvedev retook...
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