Minsk is as close to Berlin as London is. Yet, an iron curtain separates the two capitals. In 2011, over a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the nation of Belarus holds out as the last dictatorship in Europe,
writes John Kampfner
CATEGORY: News and features
European Court rejects Max Mosley appeal
Former motorsport boss turned privacy campaigner Max Mosley has had his appeal to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights rejected. Mosley had hoped to overturn a May ruling establishing that media outlets were not required to...
Art or vandalism?
The Art Issue: In post-revolution Egypt, street art has become one of the symbols of ongoing resistance. Yasmine El Rashidi reports on the graffiti artists of Cairo
A singular voice: Anish Kapoor on why artists have a duty to stand for freedom of expression
The Art Issue: The arrest and detention of Ai Weiwei, China’s most famous artist and Index contributor, caused an international outcry. In an exclusive interview celebrated sculptor Anish Kapoor explains why artists must take a stand for free expression
Belarus: Activist “beaten by police” before being jailed
A Belarusian opposition activist has claimed he was beaten and detained by police before being sentenced to 15 days in prison. Kastus Zhukouski was charged with insulting police and resisting arrest. The activist said he noticed a police car...
One Million Moms try to stop you from enjoying Schweddy Balls
While the likes of Andy Samberg attempt to resuscitate the American television programme, Saturday Night Live (SNL), many of us remember times when the show was actually funny. The 1998 "Delicious Dish" sketch, which was based on a fictional...
UK media should not be forced to hand over riot footage
Index on Censorship is concerned by reports that news organisations are to hand over footage of August’s riots in England. “Moves such as this force journalists to become the eyes and ears of the state, said John Kampfner, Chief Executive of Index...
UK: Met police drop court order against the Guardian
The Metropolitan police has backed down from its threat to use the Official Secrets Act to force Guardian journalists to reveal sources in the phone-hacking scandal investigation. The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Mark Simmons, admitted that...
Iran: Five filmmakers arrested
According to Iranian state media, five journalists allegedly working for BBC Persian were arrested on 17 September for filming a documentary without permission from the foreign press department of the culture ministry. The arrests were confirmed by...
Ethiopia:Two more journalists arrested
Two independent journalists have been arrested by Ethiopian authorities for being involved in a terrorism plot. Security forces took journalist Sileshi Hagos from his home on 9 September. Hagos worked as the managing director for Change, a magazine...