Transparency is no longer just an obsession for journalists and campaigners, writes Chris Ames The Telegraph may –-- or may not –-- have reached the bottom of the very large barrel that is the MPs’ expenses scandal. But beyond new revelations about...
CATEGORY: Europe and Central Asia
Tyranny’s shield
The ruling against blogger NightJack suggests that anonymous speech is bad for society, says David Banisar The decision by Mr Justice Eady that the identity of police blogger NightJack could be released has been characterised by many observers as...
Iran: “I will continue to report, but I fear that I may be arrested”
Reporter Saeed Kamali Dehghan describes the struggle to get information in and out of Tehran Huge rallies in Tehran yesterday saw hundreds of thousands of people defy bans and take to the streets to protest at the declaration that the president,...
Iraq: “A secret inquiry is storing up trouble”
A private investigation into the Iraq war will only backfire on Gordon Brown, writes Chris Ames Does Gordon Brown really think he will get away with a secret Iraq inquiry that --- surprise, surprise --- will report after the general election?...
Through the looking glass
English libel law turns US protection for free speech on its head. Floyd Abrams considers how the UK became an international libel tribunal English defamation law is under fire. Last July, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed...
Keeping it secret
Tamsin Allen asks why a former intelligence agent is being denied the right to a fair hearing MI5 officers guard many secrets. But, as Stella Rimington well knows, they can tell their own personal stories providing no genuinely secret and damaging...
Weighing up the evidence
The House of Lords ruling on secret evidence raises the need for the admission of intercept intelligence in terror trials, says Roger Smith Nine-nil. A judicial decision of the House of Lords does not get more decisive than that. It was by this...
Secrecy of jury system can hinder justice
We need more transparency on jury trial deliberations, says Frances Gibb Does the jury system work? No one knows --- because under the present law, no disclosures can be made about what goes on when a jury retires; nor can research be conducted...
Censorship is the wrong way to combat BNP
The illiberal obsession with silencing Nick Griffin and the British National Party in the run up to elections has won the party undeserved publicity, says Claire Fox “If you are not supporting Labour then … please go out and vote for one of the...
Amnesty award for jailed Azeri journalist
Azerbaijani newspaper editor, Eynulla Fatullayev who was jailed after criticising his government has been given Amnesty International's award for journalism under threat. Read more here