After police used tear gas and batons to stop a celebrity on hunger strike, what hope is there for non-violent protest in India?
Leo Mirani reports
CATEGORY: News and features
Justice for Georgia’s journalists
What should the Tblisi authorities do in response to the police assaults of reporters covering anti-government protests at the end of May? Boyko Boev reports
Prime cuts
UK authorities have announced an outright ban on The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). But how do censors make these decisions? Murray Perkins is a film examiner who classifies hard-core porn. He spoke to Index about what it takes to make the grade
Mexico: Missing journalist, Noel Lopez Olguin, found dead
The body of missing Mexican journalist, Noel Lopez Olguin, was found in Veracruz on 1 June. Lopez, a columnist for a small local newspapers, was kidnapped from his home by two gunmen in March. Throughout his career Lopez was critical of local...
Pakistan: “We will firmly hold the banner advocating freedom of expression”
The killing of Syed Saleem Shahzad has highlighted the precarious situation for Pakistan’s brave journalists.
Daud Khan Khattak reports
UN rapporteur calls for end to criminal defamation laws
The United Nations special rapporteur for free expression Frank La Rue has called for the abolition of criminal defamation laws. Guatemalan lawyer La Rue also condemned the use of “national security” reasons to curb free expression: In a report...
The dark side of the Syrian internet
Surveillance and spamming — how the Syria’s embattled regime and its supporters battle protesters on social media. Jillian C York reports
Libel in the schoolyard
Why would a London primary school employ the services of a political lobbying firm — and libel lawyers Carter Ruck? asks Richard Wilson
EU plan to fight piracy may lead to internet policing, say critics
The European Commission’s plan to tackle internet copyright infringements, such as illegal media downloads, would require internet service providers to work with the entertainment industry to monitor content. Critics fear this could lead to...
British author Alan Shadrake jailed in Singapore
The Singapore High Court has denied writer Alan Shadrake’s appeal against his six-week jail sentence. Shadrake was convicted of "scandalising the judiciary" in November after he published "Once A Jolly Hangman" a book criticising the use of the...