‘It became quite hard to imagine normal life again,’ Johnston said of his ordeal. ‘The last 16 weeks have been the very worst of my life. I was in the hands of people who were dangerous and unpredictable. I literally dreamt many times of being free...
How many times is Israel going to make an example of Mordechai Vanunu? He was released from prison in 2004 after serving 18 years – much of it in solitary confinement. He has just been jailed again for ‘talking to foreigners’. The stringent terms...
Journalists and environmental activists investigating deforestation in Cambodia are facing harassment, death threats and censorship after a report accused senior officials within the country’s government of involvement in illegal logging,...
Salman Rushdie is back in the limelight in the Islamic world – this time as Sir Salman. His inclusion in the Queen’s birthday honours list this year has rekindled memories of 1988-89, when the publication of his controversial book The Satanic...
Anyone who believes in the rights to freedom of expression and information must welcome Gordon Brown’s promise of a more open government. An open government is one which hears the voices of its citizens - all its citizens - even when their demands...
Zimbabwean security officers used brutal methods to disperse a peaceful march by approximately 100 members of the Law Society, including it’s president, Index on Censorship award winner Beatrice Mtetwa, outside the High Court in the capital Harare...
Freedom House’s annual report Freedom of the Press, released last month, caused an outcry over the state of local media in Russia. Freedom House, a leading American civil rights watch-dog, put Russia on 164th place among 195 countries, and named...
BBC reporter Alan Johnston was kidnapped in March, and suddenly press freedom, in the most literal sense, has become a talking point. Websites and blogs all over the world carry badges calling for his release. Last week, BBC colleagues held a...
As part of a renewed crackdown on personal freedoms in Iran, the latest government-sanctioned curb is on mobile messaging. Iran’s Ministry of Telecommunications announced this week that the Iranian government is now in the process of acquiring the...