The scandal of surveillance of Le Monde journalists’ telephones threatens to derail Nicolas Sarkozy’s bid for re-election.
Natasha Lehrer reports
CATEGORY: News and features
Urgent appeal to release Pham Minh Hoang
Index joins call for freedom for Vietnamese blogger
Egyptian blogger passes 40th day of hunger strike
Maikel Nabil Sanad is entering his 42nd day of hunger strike in protest against a three-year sentence imposed by a military court for criticising the army. He spoke
to Shahira Amin
Tunisia: Free expression groups celebrate whistleblower release
Police commissioner Samir Feriani has been acquitted of “harming security of state” after criticising continued role of Ben Ali-era security officials. Index on Censorship reports
Egypt: Authorities block publication of controversial feature
Egyptian authorities have blocked the publication of a controversial feature story. Daily newspaper Rose al-Youssef were due to run the second part of an investigative article on an alleged Israeli spy once stationed in Cairo, but publication was...
Arab Spring is a wake up call for European dictatorships
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
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...